The Philippines has introduced visa-free entry for Indian tourists. The archipelago is offering two different types of visa waivers to Indians.
Indian passport holders can enter the Philippines without a visa for a period of 14 days for tourism only. Tourists entering the Southeast Asian country through this program can neither extend their stay beyond the 14 days nor convert it into any other type of visa.
Apart from this, Indian nationals can also get a 30-day non-extendable visa-free entry for tourism purposes if they hold valid visas or residency permits for Australia, Japan, America, Canada, Schengen nations, Singapore, or the United Kingdom. The country’s e-visa facility will also be available.
The policy came into effect this month itself.
India’s Importance for Philippines: Last year, while the Philippines recorded its highest-ever tourism receipts at about $13 billion, it also lost out significantly on tourists from China: Only 300,000 Chinese tourists visited as against the target of 2 million.
At the Skift Asia Forum earlier this month, Christina Garcia Frasco, tourism secretary of the Republic of the Philippines said, “The lesson that we learned from that is to really diversify our dependency into other markets as well.” India has now become one of the focus markets for the Philippines. She is also hopeful that direct flights between India and the Philippines will commence “very soon.”
On the development, Gaurav Malik, country director – India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal at online travel platform Agoda, said, “The Philippines’ decision to grant visa-free entry to Indian travelers recognizes India as a key market for tourism. The move also reflects Indian travelers’ growing interest in Southeast Asia as a whole.”
He added that the move is likely to further boost the demand for the Philippines as a preferred travel destination among Indians, as also seen in other destination countries and highlighted by Skift in a feature last September.
Philippines Tourism Secretary at the Skift Asia Forum
ITC’s Welcomhotel Brand Enters Bihar
ITC Hotels has signed a Welcomhotel-branded property in Bihar’s Bodhgaya. The 98-key hotel marks the brand’s debut in the state of Bihar. Bodhgaya is a key destination for Buddhist pilgrims.
This came just days after ITC signed a Welcomhotel in Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, which is a major religious destination for Hindus. The company has recognized this segment as a growth driver in the country’s tourism landscape.
At the signing of Welcomhotel in Vrindavan, ITC Hotels Managing Director Anil Chadha said, “India’s pilgrimage tourism has witnessed a big upswing. As the country witnesses a surge in domestic travel, spiritual destinations have become vibrant tourism hubs, driving footfall and economic opportunity across various cities and heritage sites.”
IndiGo-parent Interglobe Aviation’s promoter Rakesh Gangwal and his family trust on Tuesday sold a 5.72% stake in the low-cost airline, according to exchange filings. Of this, Gangwal sold 0.57% out of his total 5.3% stake in IndiGo, while the family trust sold 5.15% out of a total 8.23% stake in the airline.
The shares were offloaded for about INR 113.8 billion ($1.35 billion) through a block deal. A total of 220 million shares were sold in the deal.
Last August as well, Gangwal’s family trust sold a 5.2% stake in the airline. In March 2024, Gangwal also sold some shares in IndiGo. The stake sale is due to a February 2022 decision by Gangwal to reduce his stake in the budget airline after his alleged fall out with co-founder Rahul Bhatia over corporate governance issues.
Last year, Southwest Airlines announced adding Gangwal to its board of directors.
Manipur’s Move to Boost Homestays
The Northeastern state of Manipur has launched a dedicated portal for registration of homestays in the state. The digital initiative is aimed to encourage local communities through tourism.
Residents across the state will be able to register their properties as certified homestays using this portal, which will strengthen rural economies while also providing travelers with authentic travel experiences.
The state’s new homestay policy came into effect this month, in which the government detailed the infrastructure and service benchmarks required from homestays. These looked at guest safety, comfort, and transparency. The policy also standardized room tariffs.
Cruise-Focused OTA Int2Cruises Enters India
Cruise-focused online travel company Int2Cruises has entered the Indian market. The OTA is headquartered in India, but was first introduced in Singapore and is expanding its presence into other markets such as the United Arab Emirates.
In a statement, the company said that the platform aims to make cruise bookings convenient, transparent, and affordable. “Indian travelers today are confident, digitally savvy, and looking for memorable experiences. But cruise booking remains fragmented and often overwhelming,” said Akansha Agarwal, chief marketing officer at the OTA.
Cruise vacations are quickly gaining momentum among Indian travelers, for leisure as well as corporate travel. The government is also looking to ramp up this segment, targeting 1 million cruise tourists by 2029. According to the Indian government, “The cruise market in India has the potential to grow by 800% over the next decade, driven by rising demand and disposable incomes.”
IHG Now Has 50 Operational Hotels in India
IHG Hotels & Resorts on Tuesday opened its 50th operational hotel in India – Crowne Plaza Lucknow. The 110-key hotel has been equipped with meeting and event spaces across 40,000 square feet in order to target leisure and business travelers.
The hotel chain is continuing to expand its presence across the country. Last year, IHG signed 18 new hotels in India, with around 30% of the signings being in the premium and luxury segments. Currently, the company has almost 70 hotels in its pipeline as it looks to more than double its portfolio in India over the next five years.