TRAVEL
Maha Kumbh showed how India's spiritual quest turned into material gains for MakeMyTrip, Ixigo, Oyo
Spiritual tourism is increasing driving revenue of travel companies such as ixigo, MakeMyTrip and OYO, with the younger demographic emerging as a significant growth driver in this category. The rising trend has also prompted strong projections of job creation as well as revenue growth.
BUSINESS
Not just white-collar jobs, AI will even replace manual labour work: Ixigo’s Rajnish Kumar
The good thing about this tech is that it's dead simple to use, and no sector will be spared, he says. It's mostly a race between US and China now, and India is far away, says Kumar.
TRAVEL
Pickyourtrail's domestic dream takes off via Kashmir after suspending Turkey, Azerbaijan tours
Pickyourtrail is expanding its India operations with tour packages for Kashmir. While sentiments have been affected due to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, the firm’s co-founder said there is strong potential in the region.
TECHNOLOGY
Chatbot TARA resolves 92% customer queries, AI agents handle 45% calls: Ixigo's Rajnish Kumar
AI is not only helping cut costs but it is also driving Ixigo’s revenue with close to 30 percent attachment rate for their value added services which are completely driven by AI
ENTERTAINMENT
2025 box office snapshot: A pulse for Hindi films, a power run for regional cinema
April has emerged as a strong month for Malayalam movies, grossing over Rs 200 crore for the second time ever after February 2024 with four successful ventures including Thudarum, Alappuzha Gymkhana, Maranamass and Bazooka.
ENTERTAINMENT
IPL back on track in such a short time shows India’s resilience: Gujarat Titans COO
Gujarat Titans Chief Operating Officer (COO) Colonel Arvinder Singh said that IPL's comeback in such a short time shows India's resilience.
SPORTS
IPL 2025 returns: Ad rates up as brands race to make the most of short window
A good pause? Marketers expect higher premiums on ad inventory for some of the remaining matches
BUSINESS
Around 2,000 Indian tourists pull back from Turkey, Azerbaijan; bookings slide south
The cancellation requests were for trips planned to Turkey and Azerbaijan between May and July, initial estimates from industry participants and experts suggest
BUSINESS
Falling footfalls, big losses: PVR Inox stuck in a cliffhanger as Hollywood, Bollywood blink
Hindi hits were few and far between in FY25 which was one of the main reasons for lower footfalls, resulting in poor performance. On the other hand, south films sizzled wiht higher share at the box office.
TRAVEL
Peak XV-backed Atlys takes down ad on Baku, suspends all marketing in Turkey and Azerbaijan
Atlys founder Mohak Nahta said that there has been significant drop in visa volumes from India to the two destinations.
TRAVEL
Indo-Pak tensions: Hotels wary of short-term dip in check-ins
While peace is returning to border states in India, revival in occupancy and bookings will remain affected in the short term, said experts.
BUSINESS
Bombay HC stays Bhool Chuk Maaf's Prime Video premier as PVR Inox takes Maddock to court
While the film was supposed to release on May 9, Maddock Films in a tweet on May 8 said that it will take the direct to streaming route due to the rising tensions between India and Pakistan.
TRAVEL
Host of cancellations, dent in revenue; travel firms brace for impact amid India-Pakistan tensions
Travel firms estimate a dent in revenues due to drop in bookings especially with the April to June period driving majority of the demand for travel companies.
SPORTS
Indo-Pak tensions: IPL's strategic timeout a logistical challenge, but revenue impact will be minor
With the southern parts of India relatively unaffected by the flare-up, experts think that the remaining matches can be conducted in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, or Kochi.
TRAVEL
Blow for Turkey, Azerbaijan as Indian travel firms suspend bookings amid Pakistan conflict
Over 50 percent drop in bookings is expected from India to Azerbaijan and Turkey. Many have already cancelled their plans to these destinations and some are shifting their travel to places like Bali, Malaysia, among others.
TRAVEL
Operation Sindoor: Travellers make frantic calls, travel firms cautious due to flight disruptions
As many as 16 airports have shut down across north and west India and around 100 flights are bound to be affected till mid-day.
TRAVEL
Hilton aims to double its 6,000-member team in India as it expands its portfolio with 29 hotels
Out of the 24-brands the hospitality chain operates globally, five of them are present in India including Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton by Hilton.
ENTERTAINMENT
Tariff ek paheli: Plot twist may force drop in Indian film releases in US
Aspects like pricing, promotional budgets, and even the scale of release may need realignment if 100 percent tariff on foreign films is levied as it would directly increase the overall cost of bringing Indian films to the US market.
ENTERTAINMENT
Goal is to create a billion dollar IP in AVGC: Indian Institute of Creative Technology's first CEO
The courses will cater to all segments of animation, visual effects, gaming and comic (AVGC) and subsequently increased to more than 35 from the current seven, Dr Vishwas Deoskar has said
TRENDS
Only 10% influencers in India monetise content, but influence 30% of consumer spends
There is a long tail of influencers who earn less than Rs 18,000 per month.
BUSINESS
JioStar boosts its investments in India media and entertainment, spends reach Rs 30,000 crore in 2025
Shankar said that the growth possibilities are enormous for the media and entertainment sector.
BUSINESS
Movies, TV, OTT generated over Rs 5 lakh crore, created 26 lakh jobs in 2024
The sector created direct jobs to the tune of 8.2 lakh and indirect jobs of 26.4 lakh in FY24. It is estimated that the sector will create 9.3 lakh direct and 30 lakh indirect jobs by FY29.
ENTERTAINMENT
It's an AI wave in India's creative industry but the missing link is adoption and execution
AI is projected to boost productivity in India’s media sector by 15-20 percent by 2030, primarily through content strategy optimisation.
ENTERTAINMENT
WAVES looks to further unlock the potential of Rs 2.5 lakh crore media and entertainment industry
Across the four days, discussions will be held around the major themes of the creative economy including broadcast, content creation, delivery platforms, advertising & marketing, animation, visual effects, eSports, digital media, app economy, influencers and films.
