MakeMyTrip’s latest data reveals pilgrimage travel is emerging as one of the fastest-growing segments in India’s tourism industry, with accommodation bookings across 56 pilgrimage destinations growing 19% in FY24-25.The company’s Pilgrimage Travel Trends 2024-25 shows broad-based momentum, with 34 destinations recording double-digit growth and 15 destinations growing by over 25%. Traditional centers like Prayagraj, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Puri, Amritsar and Tirupati continue expanding, while emerging destinations such as Khatushyam Ji, Omkareshwar and Thiruchendur are also registering strong growth.“Pilgrimage Travel has always been part of our culture, but what we see now is its scale and consistency across the country. We are seeing steady growth, fuelled by stronger connectivity and Indians across all age groups and income segments planning pilgrimage-led trips. This growing demand is broadening traveller expectations and prompting the industry to innovate in ways that better serve the unique needs of the pilgrim traveller,” said Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip.The data reveals distinct traveller patterns in pilgrimage tourism. Nearly two-thirds of bookings are made within six days of departure, while 53% of travelers opt for single-night stays compared to 45% in leisure travel. Group bookings account for 47% of pilgrimage trips versus 38.9% for leisure destinations, highlighting the collective nature of spiritual journeys.Premiumisation is gaining traction, with bookings for rooms above ₹7,000 growing over 20%. While 71% of bookings remain below ₹4,500 per night, rooms in the ₹7,000-10,000 range grew 24% and those above ₹10,000 increased 23%.The company also launched “Loved by Devotees,” a curated collection of accommodations near spiritual destinations, alongside 600+ holiday packages catering to pilgrim travelers.

South African Tourism is set to launch the fifth edition of its flagship Corporate Think Tank. The series will be hosted in four key hubs such as Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, and Kolkata on 19th September 2025, 07th November 2025, 12th December 2025, and 30th January 2026 respectively. Aimed at positioning the Rainbow Nation as a leading destination for global business events, the Corporate Think Tank brings together key industry leaders and corporate decision makers to explore business growth, evolving travel demands, and the future of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions).

Led by Deepika Nair, Acting Trade Manager, South African Tourism, the event will connect with Indian corporates across key sectors such as IT, pharmaceuticals, and financial services. By expanding its focus beyond traditional metro markets, the initiative aims to tap new emerging business hubs like Chennai and Kolkata along with other cities, fostering greater accessibility and inclusivity. The initiative will highlight South Africa’s transformation into a modern, experiential destination that seamlessly blends world-class business infrastructure with leisure opportunities. Discussions will focus on evolving market trends such as digital transformation, sustainability, and innovative event strategies, while emphasizing the country’s capability to host large-scale conferences, incentive travel programs, and world-class corporate meetings. Further, catering to emerging preferences like sustainability-focused initiatives, family-inclusive business trips, and team-building engagement programs.

Speaking about the importance of this initiative, Deepika Nair, Acting Trade Manager, South African Tourism said, “India plays a pivotal role in our MICE strategy as one of the top contributors to arrivals in South Africa. We are excited to bring the fifth edition of Corporate Think Tank to India, where we will engage corporate leaders and decision-makers to showcase South Africa’s incredible potential as a business event destination. This 2025 initiative underscores our vision of establishing the Rainbow Nation as the premier MICE destination by offering state-of-the-art infrastructure, exceptional experiences, and cost-effective solutions. By consistently engaging with India’s corporate community, we aim to set new benchmarks for MICE travel and drive sustained growth in this thriving segment.”

Building on the success of previous editions, South African Tourism’s 2025 Corporate Think Tank highlights the dynamic growth of India’s corporate travel landscape and its critical role in South Africa’s MICE sector. In 2024, India emerged as one of South Africa’s fastest-growing source markets for MICE travel, contributing 20.2% of overall MICE arrivals. Business and MICE travellers collectively accounted for nearly half (49.6%) of Indian arrivals, underscoring the significant impact of this segment on South Africa’s tourism industry.

With Corporate Think Tank 2025, South African Tourism aims to build on this momentum and drive strong growth in MICE arrivals from India. As part of its broader strategy to create innovative platforms that inspire and engage the Indian corporate travel community, the initiative will spotlight South Africa as both a business-ready destination and a vibrant hub of culture and experiences.

Taiwan Tourism Administration (TTA) recently concluded two significant trade and educational events in Kochi and Kolkata, marking a deeper outreach into South and East India.

A first such event at the South Indian city of Kochi by TTA, the event was an educational seminar. The high-tea event was attended by leading Taiwanese DMCs, Top Holidays and Apple Travel Services, whereas Singapore Airline was the partner airline to the event. Aimed at educating city’s travel trade on Taiwan’s diverse FIT and MICE offerings, the event was attended by some 30 leading travel agents and tour operators actively engaged in outbound tourism business.

The road show in Kolkata, a hitherto untapped market for Taiwan, also aimed at educating the city’s travel trade on Taiwan’s FIT and MICE offerings. India’s fourth largest city-economy and capital of one of the strongest outbound tourism source markets in India, West Bengal, the Kolkata roadshow had Thai Airways as the partner airline and some 50 agents attended the event.

Commenting on the two events, Paul Shih, Director – TTA Singapore Office, said, “India is a very diverse market and there are tremendous opportunities to exploit across the country. We saw some surprising response from our last year’s Educational Seminar with airline partner in the South Indian cities of Bangaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. The two events were strategic extension of our trade outreach, engagement and educational programme that we have carried in India over the last year and half. Kochi gave opportunity to penetrate deep in the South India market, whereas Kolkata roadshow was our first post-pandemic push in the region and was aimed at opening East Indian market, particularly West Bengal.”

TTA made a determined comeback to India in January 2024 with strategic market-focussed plans. Taiwan recorded a robust 20.81% growth in Indian visitor arrivals last year and has since further strengthened its growth to 22.01% year-on-year for the January-May period this year.

“TTA is committed to long-term strategic approach and position Taiwan as a premier destination for high-end luxury and MICE travellers. These events will help enhance our destination appeal and visibility for HNI, FIT, incentives and luxury corporate travellers through strategic partnerships with airlines and travel agencies in these regions. We want to visit these places again and again and convince our travel industry friends that we are quite serious about forming new partnerships in order to develop these markets,” Shih further stressed.

The two events are aligned to TTA’s strategic goal of gradually expanding its destination marketing and trade outreach activations, while also introducing new products such as Golf Tourism that was recently introduced in the Indian market. Through such expanding activations, TTA aims to strengthen partnerships with travel industry professionals across a wider geography in order to increase the number of Indian tourists to Taiwan.