5 Countries Where Indian Students Can Study Without IELTS
Want to study abroad but worried about clearing IELTS? Great news! In this video, we reveal 5 countries where Indian students can study without IELTS in 2025. From Germany to Malaysia, explore top programs in engineering, management, medicine, and more—all without the need for IELTS. Learn how to use your English-medium education or alternate tests like Duolingo to qualify. Don't miss our pro tips on scholarship deadlines and eligibility—your study abroad journey might be easier than you think!
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New Indian Express
4 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Aviation industry accounts for 1.5 per cent of India's GDP, creates 7.7 million jobs
NEW DELHI: The Indian aviation industry, now the third-largest aviation market globally, contributes a significant USD 53.6 billion annually to the national economy, accounting for 1.5% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The sector is also a key employment generator, creating approximately 7.7 million jobs both directly and indirectly across the country. During the opening day of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) annual general meeting on Sunday, Amitabh Khosla, IATA's country Director for India, Nepal, and Bhutan, said the crucial role aviation plays in the nation's economic growth. He described the industry as a major driver of employment, economic activity, international trade, investment, and global connectivity. Khosla highlighted the correlation between a country's air connectivity and competitiveness, productivity, investment levels, tourism, and trade flow. 'In 2023, the industry annually generated a USD 53.6 billion contribution to India's economy, underpinning 7.7 million jobs in the country,' he said. Tourism, supported by aviation, contributes Rs 27.1 billion to the GDP and employs 5 million people. International tourists add another USD 29.4 billion annually to the economy through local purchases of goods and services. 'Overall the travel and tourism sector accounts for 6.5% of the nation's GDP and 8.9% of total employment in 2023,' Khosla stated. Khosla also pointed out that India has shown a strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. While the domestic aviation market rebounded more quickly, the international segment has now surpassed pre-pandemic levels. As of December 2024, the international sector stood nearly 20% above its 2019 levels, while domestic operations were over 8% higher. 'Such a positive recovery reaffirms the strong demand for international travel and provides a firm foundation for the period ahead,' he said. The Middle East remained the top international destination for Indian flyers in 2023, with 13.7 million passengers, followed by the Asia Pacific region and Europe. To meet growing demand, airlines have ramped up flight frequencies and seat capacities. Scheduled flights increased by 77.7%, reaching about 1.3 million in 2024. Most of these were domestic, which surged from 613,000 flights in 2014 to nearly 1.1 million in 2024. Indigo led this expansion, operating 53% of all departing flights from and within India. Consumers have also benefited from increased competition, which led to a 25% reduction in real airfares in 2023 compared to 2011, Khosla noted. Currently, India has 116 airports offering commercial scheduled services, with 96 of them providing direct connections and 521 outbound international flights each day. Over the last five years, 103 new international routes have been introduced. There are currently 99 operational airlines in the country. India has also established itself as the sixth-largest air cargo market in the world, transporting 3.3 million tonnes of air freight in 2023. Khosla added that the country holds significant potential for the development of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
New Indian Express
4 hours ago
- New Indian Express
We will continue to grow faster than the competition: ixigo's Aloke Bajpai
The domestic tourism industry has faced significant shifts in recent weeks, particularly after the unfortunate terror attack in Kashmir, which disrupted travel momentum in the region. In an interaction with TNIE's Arshad Khan, Aloke Bajpai, co-founder and Group CEO of ixigo, shares insights on how the incident impacted bookings, evolving traveller preferences and how ixigo's unique growth strategy that allows them to grow faster than peers. Additionally, Bajpai weighs in on rising hotel prices and this season's hottest travel trends. Edited Excerpts: How has the domestic tourism industry changed in the last one month (since the unfortunate attack in Kashmir)? The Pahalgam terror attacks happened at a time when Jammu and Kashmir was seeing a 70% YoY growth in bookings for us in the month of April. The attacks marked a significant blow to the state's tourism momentum and the region's security environment. At ixigo, our first priority was to ensure the safety and well-being of our travellers. The temporary shutdown of 32 airports resulted in a marginal disruption to flight services, with cancellations affecting 5-8% of the total scheduled flights between May 7 and May 12. While there wasn't much impact on the trains business, our bus business actually saw some increase in demand during this time and hence we did not see much impact at an overall level. What has been the impact of Pakistan airspace closure, and a call for boycott against Turkey and Azerbaijan? Traveller sentiment toward these two countries has clearly shifted, and it's showing up in this summer's booking trends. Internationally, bookings & searches to Japan, Korea, Spain, Paris, Italy, and Singapore are up 20–25% year-on-year, reflecting a growing appetite for global travel. Interestingly, Japan and Korea weren't major blips on the radar last summer, but this year they've emerged as trending hotspots—signaling a clear shift in traveller preferences and a growing appetite for culturally rich, long-haul experiences. ixigo is everywhere - from trains, flights and busses to hotels. What is driving ixigo's growth and where does future growth opportunity lie? If you look at our business strategy, we made a conscious decision to focus on what we call the Next Billion Users. In India, trains are by far the most dominant mode of transport. While flights cater to just about 4–4.5% of the population, trains carry around 22 million passengers daily. That's why we didn't follow the typical Western OTA model, which puts flights at the core and builds hotels and other services around them. In India, that model doesn't scale the same way. Instead, we've flipped the template and built around the dominant travel behavior of Indian users—ground transportation first, everything else layered on top. Thanks to this strategy, we've been consistently growing faster than the market. In Q3 alone, we grew our gross transaction value (GTV) by 48%, clocking over ₹4,000 crores in ticket sales. Flights, in fact, were our fastest-growing vertical, with a 73% GTV growth. In the train travel segment, we're already the largest OTA, holding over 58% market share as of Q3. While our train business continues to grow—27% YoY in Q3 alone—the larger growth opportunity for us now lies in flights, buses, and hotels. Compared to our competitors, our growth velocity is significantly higher—nearly 3x in some cases—allowing us to steadily gain market share in these categories as well. Why are high-spending tourists increasingly choosing international destinations over domestic ones? Many travelers have raised concerns about steep hotel rates and high airfare prices in India—how do you view this trend? This trend is primarily visible at the premium end of the market. When we look at five-star properties, there's a clear supply crunch. Some individual cities in Asia—like Bangkok, Shanghai, or Singapore—have more five-star hotel inventory than all of India combined. As a result, occupancy rates remain exceptionally high—often in the high 80s to 90% range—which is quite remarkable. Giving an example of Goa, travellers who once booked four- or five-star hotels there are now comparing those prices with similar or better experiences in Thailand or Vietnam, where they can access high-quality properties at more reasonable rates—say, ₹10,000 per night instead of ₹20,000. So while the upper segment is seeing some deflection due to higher costs and global competition, the core audience—budget travellers spending between ₹4,000 to ₹8,000 per night—continue to flock to Goa. Where are Indians travelling this season? What are the airfare trends this year? We've seen exceptional growth—anywhere between 60% to 180%—in key leisure sectors like Kullu-Manali and Dehradun. Early trends are encouraging—we're hopeful this summer will outperform last year. In 2023, fares jumped sharply—around 15% YoY—because of grounded aircraft and GoAir exiting the market. This year, capacity constraints are easing. IndiGo has brought back many of its grounded planes, and overall availability is improving. If fares remain stable and capacity continues to rise, we should see strong load factors and potentially a very successful summer season. Among international destinations, we are seeing good traction for destinations like Singapore, Maldives, Vietnam, Bali, and Thailand. Maldives, in fact, is seeing a revival, likely aided by the recent improvement in diplomatic relations. Vietnam has truly taken off. It is clearly resonating with Indian travellers. It seems India is going big on spiritual tourism, especially during the Maha Kumbh period. What sort of growth have you seen here? Oh, it's insane. I mean, if I look at Varanasi, Gaya, Shirdi, Haridwar, Puri, Ayodhya, Katra, I can say we are seeing 66% YoY growth on average. If you look at the numbers, Varanasi now receives 4–5 times the footfalls of Goa annually. And what's interesting is that a large portion of this demand is coming from Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns—even from cities as far south as Coimbatore. We're seeing strong interest in what has become a popular spiritual travel circuit that includes Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Prayagraj. The Maha Kumbh has helped reshape this into a broader spiritual triangle that's gaining momentum.
Economic Times
7 hours ago
- Economic Times
Emirates warns against limiting access for foreign airlines
Emirates president Tim Clark has criticized India's aviation policies. He said limiting foreign air access could harm India's economy. Clark noted air transport is a key economic driver. The UAE has requested more flying rights. But India has resisted due to Air India's concerns. Clark highlighted the significant travel between India and Dubai. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Emirates president Tim Clark on Sunday criticized India's policy of limiting foreign air access , saying it could harm the country's economy in the long run. He called restricting foreign carriers' flying rights 'akin to shooting yourself in the foot,' noting that air transport is a key economic comments come amid a longstanding dispute over bilateral flying rights between India and the UAE. Under a 2014 agreement, both countries' carriers can operate up to 66,504 seats weekly in each direction. Emirates, which already operates 334 weekly flights between Dubai and India, has reached its capacity under the UAE has requested more flying rights, but India, with strong opposition from Air India, has resisted, fearing increased foreign access would harm its own long-haul market remarks were made at a press conference during the annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).Clark pointed out that the Indian diaspora makes up a large portion of Dubai's population, which has grown significantly in the past decade. He said the scale of travel between India and Dubai highlights the missed opportunity of not expanding seat entitlements for Emirates.'The Indian government's policy of limiting foreign carrier capacity may be driven by strategic concerns, but it should recognize the vital role aviation plays in economic growth,' Clark said. 'Air transport has been a catalyst for economies around the world over the past 20 to 30 years. Not expanding air access could ultimately hurt India's economy.'
