Need better infra to attract more international tourists to India: Ixigo group CEO
India needs to have better infrastructure and more high-quality hotels to attract a higher number of international tourists,
Ixigo Group CEO Aloke Bajpai
said on Thursday. In an interview to PTI, the travel booking platform's chief shared that the recent terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam cast a "significant blow" to the state's tourism momentum, at a time when it was witnessing a major growth in bookings by customers.
The
ixigo Group
CEO expressed confidence that it aims to surpass the travel industry's growth projections this year.
"Industry projections suggest the overall travel market will grow by 8-9 per cent this year, with online travel expected to grow at over 18 per cent. We're aiming to grow significantly faster than the market and are aspiring to maintain GTV (gross transaction value) growth in the 40 per cent range, in line with our momentum from last year," Bajpai said.
On Wednesday, ixigo reported a profit after tax of Rs 16.8 crore in the fourth quarter ended March (Q4 FY25), compared to Rs 7.3 crore in Q4 FY24, an increase of 128 per cent on a YoY basis.
"This has been our strongest quarter yet, driven by consistent quarter-on-quarter acceleration across all lines of business. ...We're also seeing operating leverage kick in as demonstrated in our robust cash flow from operations amounting to Rs 122 crore in FY25," Bajpai said.
Live Events
Responding to a question on why inbound tourism has yet to return to pre-COVID levels, he said this is part of a larger global trend, with many governments actively promoting domestic tourism.
Discover the stories of your interest
Blockchain
5 Stories
Cyber-safety
7 Stories
Fintech
9 Stories
E-comm
9 Stories
ML
8 Stories
Edtech
6 Stories
"At the same time, there's a clear need for better infrastructure and more high-quality hotels if we want to attract more international tourists," he said.
Sharing his insights on the impact on business due to the
Pahalgam terror attacks
and the subsequent
Operation Sindoor
, Bajpai said the "Pahalgam terror attacks happened at a time when Jammu and Kashmir was seeing a 70 per cent YoY growth in bookings for us in the month of April. The attack marked a significant blow to the state's tourism momentum and the region's security environment".
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
‘Resume direct flights, reduce hotel tariffs to revive tourism in Kashmir'
Srinagar: The travel trade industry has appealed to airlines to resume flights to Srinagar that were discontinued after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 so that tourism in Kashmir can revive. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now While all flights to Srinagar, Jammu and over two dozen other areas were suspended in May, as India conducted air strikes against terror hubs in Pakistan, some services including direct flights from Kolkata to Srinagar by IndiGo Airlines and Air India Express have not resumed after hostilities ceased on May 10. IndiGo has indicated that it will resume the direct flight from June 16. Last month, TOI wrote about the 'Chalo Kashmir' campaign, a strong community-tourism industry connect initiative launched by the Travel Agents' Association of India (TAAI), which handles around 4 lakh tourists from Kolkata in a year, around 40,000 of whom travel to Kashmir. Taking the campaign forward, TAAI started a new campaign called Rally for Valley to boost tourism in Kashmir. "We are in talks with the Union govt as well as airlines and hotel bodies to put a cap on tariffs that can help us shape attractive packages for tourists," said TAAI president Sunil Kumar. "As for safety, we are visiting the valley with our families. Tourists have nothing to fear. People here are among the most hospitable. This is the best time to visit the Valley," he added. Over 15 lakh tourists visited Kashmir last year. The Valley was packed with tourists again this year before the terror attack triggered mass cancellations. The downturn in tourists has hit Kashmiris hard. "In April, we were charging Rs 5,000 for a round trip to Pahalgam from Srinagar. Now we are taking tourists even for Rs 3,000," said Md Rouf, a driver. Restaurants like Lazeez, which had to turn down guests two months back, are now giving special offers to fill tables. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Very few rooms have been booked across several hotels. Had it not been for the terror attacks, these hotels would have been packed. These hotels should take a Covid-time-like approach and cut down on tariffs. We have set ourselves a target until Sept this year by when we intend to revive tourism back in Kashmir," said TAAI chairman (east) Anjani Dhanuka. The newly inaugurated Vande Bharat Express, travelling through the landmark Chenab Bridge, is also being promoted as a game changer. "Kolkata will host the first roadshow promoting Kashmir as a safe destination. We are also regularly updating our social media handles with snippets and current activities in popular destinations in Srinagar, Pahalgam, Jammu, Gulmarg, Sonmarg, and other places to encourage tourists from Kolkata," said Manav Soni, TAAI national committee member.
Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
Relief for Gali: HC suspends conviction, grants him bail in illegal mining case
Hyderabad: Telangana high court Wednesday suspended both the conviction and sentence of Karnataka former minister and mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy in an illegal mining case while also giving him bail, an order that would save Gali's position as an MLA. Following the conviction and seven-year sentence imposed by a special CBI court, Gali stood disqualified as an MLA and the election authorities would have held a bypoll soon for his seat (Gangavathi). Agreeing with the arguments of the legislator's lawyer, senior counsel S Nagamuthun, that damages from the conviction were irreversible, Justice K Lakshman also ordered his release from jail with certain conditions. Gali was told not to leave the country or commit unlawful acts anywhere and to furnish two sureties worth Rs 10 lakh. He has already served half of the seven-year sentence while being a remand prisoner. Along with Gali, three other individuals – BV Srinivas Reddy (Obulapuram Mining Company MD), VD Rajagopal (former director, AP mines and geology department) and Mehfuz Ali Khan (PA to Gali) – and one entity, the company OMC, were convicted by the special CBI court last month. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Amazon's Hottest Selling Hearing Aid Is Back On Sale Oricle Hearing Aid Learn More Undo On Tuesday, apart from Gali, Justice Lakshman stayed the conviction of the entity OMC. The judge also granted bail to the other three with the same conditions. The criminal appeals of these three against their conviction will be heard on Aug 11. Srilakshmi issue to be heard on June 19 The judge also sought a counter from the CBI in the criminal revision plea filed by senior IAS officer and former AP industries secretary Y Srilakshmi and posted her case to June 19. The HC had earlier discharged her from the case but the CBI had appealed in the Supreme Court, which directed the HC to hear the CBI version also before arriving at a conclusion. On Tuesday, senior counsel P Venugopal, appearing for Srilakshmi, said she has an apprehension about Justice Lakshman hearing her revision plea in view of last year's judgment delivered by him where he had refused to quash the case against her. When CBI counsel Srinivas Kapatia sought a week's time to file their counter, the judge reminded him that the CBI could not dodge filing a counter now, saying, "You complained to the apex court about the HC not hearing your version. But here you have not filed your counter despite a three-month deadline fixed by the Supreme Court asking the HC to decide the issue." Srilakshmi had succeeded Kripanandam as industries secretary. The special court, while convicting Gali and the others, had acquitted Kripanandam as well as then industry minister Sabitha Indra Reddy in the illegal mining case.
India Gazette
32 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Indian Oil quadrupled fuel supply for armed forces during Operation Sindoor: Senior official
By Shafali Nigam Port Blair (Andaman and Nicobar) [India], June 12 (ANI): Indian Oil ensured seamless fuel supply to the Indian armed forces during Operation Sindoor from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which went up at least four times, said Rakesh Kumar, Chief Terminal Manager (CTM) of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). 'During Operation Sindoor, the demand from defence has gone up at least four times, and we were there to supply the product just as I told you earlier. We positioned our vessels from Paradip and Haldia refineries and met their demands just in time,' Indian Oil Corporation CTM said. Mentioning the demand during Operation Sindoor, he said, 'In case of need, just like a few months back, at the demand of the Indian Navy, we positioned our vessels from Paradip refinery and Haldia refinery at a notice of just three days.' Indian Oil demonstrated its strategic preparedness and operational efficiency and played a pivotal role in ensuring uninterrupted fuel supply during Operation Sindoor, the official said, adding that despite a fourfold increase in fuel demand from defence establishments, the state-owned oil PSU successfully met requirements by mobilising vessels from its mainland refineries within days. 'We have a very high level of good coordination with defence, almost on a daily basis. Since they are taking products from us, they have requirements. We interact with them on a weekly basis, and we hold meetings with their supply department as well,' he said about coordination with defence and security agencies in fuel supply or infrastructure planning. During a field visit to the Indian Oil POL Terminal in Port Blair, organised by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas for the press, when asked if there are any protocols in case of an emergency situation, Kumar said, 'In case of need, just like a few months back, at the demand of the Indian Navy, we positioned our vessels from Paradip refinery and Haldia refinery at a notice of just three days.' 'We are at the smart terminal of Indian Oil. Here, we have a tanking of 27,000 KL. We are dealing with four products over here, which are petrol, diesel, low-sulphur HFHSD and HSD,' he added. In response to the questions on emergency protocols in place for fuel shortages or natural disasters like cyclones or tsunamis, he said, 'We have emergency protocols. Sufficient tankage is there. On average, we have 25 days of coverage for all the products.' He said the state-run oil major is planning to expand services or upgrade existing infrastructure in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 'We have plans. This terminal is a 27 TKL terminal and a POL terminal. We have requested one more station and we are in an advanced stage of getting new land in Hope Town, where our bottling plant is situated,' he added. Speaking with ANI, V. Ranganathan, Chief General Manager from West Bengal State Office and Port Blair said, 'Port Blair is one of the unique locations where a lot of challenges are there with respect to logistics, as well as product availability.' (ANI)
