Travelers hoping to reunite with family for Diwali this year are suffering sticker shock in New Delhi and other Indian metros as domestic airfares and last-minute train tickets soar well beyond off-season levels.
GUWAHATI, India — A simmering battle over taxi permits has erupted into a full-blown border blockade at Jorabat, the gateway between Assam and Meghalaya, stranding tourists, choking traffic, and rattling the region’s all-important visitor economy. The clash, centered just outside Guwahati, highlights long-standing friction over who gets to ferry travelers to the pine-clad hills of Shillong and the tea-scented plains of Assam.
KOLKATA, India — Long dominated by postcard beaches and luxury palaces, India’s travel wish list is being rapidly rewritten by its own cultural calendar.
MUMBAI, India — Discovering cockroaches at 35,000 feet is not on any traveler’s checklist, yet that is what unfolded aboard Air India’s long-haul Flight AI180 from San Francisco to Mumbai, according to multiple passenger accounts and an airline statement. The episode, which unfolded during a scheduled refueling stop in Kolkata, adds a fresh wrinkle to the flag carrier’s recent safety and service headaches.
NEW DELHI, India — A spike in fighting between Thai and Cambodian forces has led India to caution its citizens about visiting Thailand, underscoring the need for real-time travel intelligence out of New Delhi.
A month after a deadly Boeing 787 accident here in Ahmedabad left 260 people dead and just one survivor, airlines on two continents are racing to reassure flyers that their Dreamliners and 737s remain safe. The focus of the sudden industry-wide checkup: a pair of fuel-cutoff switches that investigators say flipped mid-flight on June 12, starving both engines and sending Air India Flight 171 into a residential neighborhood minutes after takeoff.
MUSSOORIE, India — A Himalayan escape famous for mist-shrouded ridges and colonial-era cottages is about to change the way visitors arrive. Beginning as early as the upcoming summer holidays, anyone planning to drive into Mussoorie will first have to fill out a digital form, receive a one-time password and present a scannable QR code at one of three road checkpoints—part of a new crowd-management system announced by Uttarakhand authorities.
NEW DELHI — Indian vacationers are no longer waiting for winter breaks or long summer holidays to pack their bags. A growing number are embracing the rainy season for quick “mini-cations,” transforming what was once the tourism industry’s quietest quarter into prime time for travel.
(PARO, Bhutan) — Bhutan, the secluded Himalayan kingdom celebrated for measuring success in Gross National Happiness, has lowered but made permanent a steep levy on foreign guests: a £73 (US$100) per-day Sustainable Development Fee. The charge — dubbed a “happiness tax” by British media — applies to all international tourists except Indian nationals and is intended to safeguard the nation’s culture and environment.
