The Year In Travel News: Looking Back At The Top Headlines Of 2024

A new year is an opportunity to reflect on your recent life and plan for how you want it to look in the future. For the T+L Southeast Asia editors, it also comes with an annual ritual — rounding up the most impactful, intriguing, and important news about how we move around the world. Nearly every ‘big’ travel story or news starts as a seemingly unattainable dream. Most fade quietly, like biometric passports or touring Mars. Others burst onto the scene, like the dozen or more countries embracing the visa-free approach to boost tourism or Saudi Arabia’s hyperrealistic dream of a megacity development on the Red Sea coast.

Some travel-related news evolve into lasting policies and become integral to our world experience. Who could have predicted that early experiments with driverless car technology in the 1920s would give rise to robotaxi services dominating downtown San Francisco? While it’s almost impossible to tell which dream might surprise reality, the uncertainty isn’t stopping people from trying. Five years ago, a devastating fire tore through Notre Dame de Paris, leaving the structure in an impending state of collapse. Its literal rise from the ashes was made possible by an army of dedicated supporters who (in record time) restored not just the French Gothic cathedral but strengthened the emotion of hope in France and beyond. A similar sentiment was exemplified by Indian expatriate Gopi Thotakura — who became the first Indian citizen to venture into space as a tourist.

With 2024 behind us, we reflect on the key news stories that emerged and left a significant mark on the travel landscape.

Also, read and explore our guide to the new hand baggage size rules coming in 2025.

2024 in review: The most prominent travel news stories

Air India and Vistara merge

When Vistara’s Mumbai-Delhi flight UK986, an Airbus A321, left the airport at 10:50 pm on November 11, the entire aviation industry and loyal customers bid the brand an emotional goodbye. A 51:49 joint partnership between the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, Vistara’s merger with Air India became the top airline and travel news in 2022. The goal? Grab market share and grow the latter’s presence in the Indian market. On November 12, 2024, the integrated airline announced the completion of the process, connecting over 90 destinations with a vision to build a “world-class global aviation company with an Indian heart”. 

Singapore embraces passport-free travel

Introduced on September 30, 2024, the system uses biometrics to speed up immigration processing, reducing the time from 25 seconds to just 10. In the first 15 days, 1.5 million travellers benefited from this innovation, streamlining the experience for residents and foreign passengers. Facial and iris recognition technology is behind this first-of-its-kind experiment, helping secure a process that could majorly impact how airports approach immigration.

EU updates visa rules for Indians

Travelling to Europe whenever was always a pipedream for Indian passport holders. This is why when the EU announced the new ‘cascade’ travel visa, the news around it felt too good to be true. But even with the few strings attached, it is the best bet to explore the Schengen region without a ticking timer to worry about. Those who have used two Schengen visas in the past three years can apply for a two-year multiple-entry visa, simplifying travel for frequent visitors to Europe.

US addresses visa backlog, adds 250,000 appointments for Indians

Gopi Thotakura: India’s first ‘space tourist’

Blue Origin, a space tourism and exploration company founded by Jeff Bezos, has successfully flown into space 37 times without its tourists. That changed when the Blue Origin NS-25 mission launched from a Launch Site One base in West Texas, garnering widespread attention on social media platforms from the aerospace firm. Another historic headline that followed was the journey of Indian-origin entrepreneur and pilot Gopichand Thotakura on the mission, making history as the first Indian tourist to venture into space. On this mission, Blue Origin completed its seventh human spaceflight and the 25th flight of the New Shepard programme on May 19.

Self-driving cars gain traction in US and China

Hopping into a driverless cab and talking to an LED display can seem like a scene ripped out of an animated science-fiction movie until you land in Wuhan or San Francisco, where Baidu and Waymo are leading the robotaxi revolution. In Wuhan, China, about 3 percent of taxis are Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxis, supporting its vision to become the world’s first driverless city. Meanwhile, Waymo has rapidly expanded in California, delivering 312,000 rides monthly by August, doubling its volume in 3 months. News around this latest innovation is also inspiring other countries to look into the technology. 

Tourism Malaysia returns to North America

Tourism Malaysia’s launch of ‘The Malaysia Mix’ — the board’s first campaign in North America since 2017 — might be one of history’s best ‘comeback campaigns’. From rare wildlife to unmatched travel experiences to the country’s popular UNESCO sites and a remix soundtrack by NYC musician Malik Abdul-Rahmaan, the digital-exclusive campaign appeared on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and news platforms worldwide.

Linawati Ismail, Deputy Director of the Americas of Tourism Malaysia, said, “‘Choose Your Malaysia Mix’ reimagines experiences for US and Canadian travellers beyond the standard Southeast Asia trip. With our new experiences, travellers from the US and Canada can easily explore all 13 states, discovering a rich mix of cultural exploration, adventure, natural beauty, and diverse cuisines.”

Great Barrier Reef suffers worst coral loss in decades

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef — a major travel attraction with approximately 2.19 million visitors yearly — was again in the news due to a devastating loss of coral caused by warming oceans, marking the most significant die-off ever recorded. The worst-hit area spanned 700 kilometres in the reef’s northern region, where 67 percent of shallow-water corals died in just nine months. While the southern areas, including popular tourist spots around Cairns and the Whitsundays, experienced lower mortality, efforts to protect the reef from overtourism are underway. As its condition deteriorated, Australian authorities are working on protection measures and will update the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

India’s first: Delhi Airport links 150 destinations

When Thai AirAsia X launched direct flights between Delhi and Bangkok-Don Mueang (DMK), it marked a historic milestone for Delhi International Airport — making it the first in India to connect 150 global destinations. The route uses Airbus A330 aircraft, operating twice weekly and increasing to four times by mid-January 2025. Delhi Airport has added over 20 exclusive international destinations, including Bali and Tokyo Haneda, and witnessed a 100 percent rise in transfer passenger volume over a decade. Serving 56 percent of India’s long-haul flights, it connects 88 percent of long-haul destinations and remains the gateway for 42 percent of Indian long-haul travellers. 

Several Indian airlines set to take flight in 2025

This year, we saw major airline launch announcements, setting the stage for 2025. Based in Kochi, Air Kerala plans to operate intra-state and South Indian routes using ATR-72 aircraft. Another Kerala-based airline, Alhind Air, aims to connect the state with Gulf nations and cater to expatriates. Its launch has been delayed to mid-2025. Uttar Pradesh’s Shankh Air will offer full-service domestic flights with Boeing 737NG planes, with operations expected to begin by late 2024 or early 2025.

Olympics drive tourism surge in Paris

Even without the privilege of hosting the Olympics, Paris can appear to be a destination that consistently attracts visitors. Any consensus would agree that becoming the home of the biggest sporting event and grabbing all those news headlines would more probably than not push travel numbers into overdrive. A close look reveals that, according to Visa, the official payment partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, there was a 42 percent increase in Visa cardholders visiting Paris during the Games compared to the same period in 2023. Despite these figures, when you look into the big picture, high costs and local sentiment led to declining arrivals. AirFrance-KLM projected a third-quarter revenue shortfall of EUR 150-170 million, while Delta Air Lines anticipated losses of EUR 100 million.

Maldives introduced RuPay for Indian visitors

RuPay, India’s digital payment system, took a significant step forward during Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu’s state visit to India in October. Amid other topics discussed to improve the bilateral relationship, which had been strained due to Muizzu’s earlier anti-India stance, a key moment in the talks was the first RuPay card transaction in the Maldives. While the impact on tourism remains uncertain, introducing RuPay is expected to make spending easier and more seamless for visitors to the Maldives.

Bhutan opens to unlimited tourism

Think of Bhutan, and you think about the intricate architecture that shimmers under the summer light for most of the year, the unbounded trails, and the warm hospitality. However, most of us also consider the country’s travel restrictions, specifically the visitor cap and the Sustainable Development Fee (USD 100 per night for foreigners and INR 1,200 for Indian nationals). However, when Carissa Nimah, Chief Marketing Officer of Bhutan Tourism, denied rumours about the maximum number of tourists the country supposedly allows, it lifted a long-standing pressure off potential visitors who were second-guessing their trip to the Himalayan nation.

Thiruvananthapuram wins prestigious UN-Shanghai Award

Thiruvananthapuram’s constant efforts, from sustainable development in urban areas to improving governance and enhancing the quality of life for its residents, have landed it the UN-Shanghai Global Award for sustainable urban development. It is the first Indian city to receive this prestigious recognition, joining the ranks of previous awardees such as Brisbane, Salvador, Fuzhou, George Town, and Kampala. Some notable improvements include the addition of 17,000 KW of solar panels, 2,000 solar street lights, and 115 electric buses.

Rare Aurora Borealis sightings reported worldwide

Imagine waking up in the middle of the night for a snack and ticking off one of the most popular bucket list items with an innocent stare out the window. This is precisely what thousands experienced during the first two weeks of October, all credited to the powerful solar eruption, which sent charged particles from the sun toward Earth, triggering a G4 geomagnetic storm. The Northern Lights (or aurora borealis) illuminated the skies over the UK and parts of the US, with vibrant displays visible as far south as Kent in England. From Scotland to East Anglia, Australia, and even Leh in India, social media was flooded with images, after which experts called 2024 one of the best years to see the dancing neon lights.

Popular destinations combat overtourism with new strategies

An over-tourism combat strategy recap for 2024 would look something like this: Rome planned a reservation system for the Trevi Fountain with a symbolic fee, while Venice has banned group tours of over 25 people and restricted short-term rentals. Greece imposed a $20 fee for cruise passengers visiting Santorini and Mykonos. Spain’s Cíes Islands continues its daily visitor cap, and Barcelona aims to eliminate short-term rentals by 2029. Japan introduced a fee for climbing Mount Fuji and capped daily climbers. Kyoto will restrict tourist access to parts of the Gion district while Indonesia and India consider measures to curb overtourism. If there were to be an award for the most innovative solution, it would go to Copenhagen’s ‘CopenPay’ programme — which incentivises tourists with free meals, coffee, kayak tours, or museum entry in exchange for participating in eco-friendly activities.

Visa-free travel reaches peak popularity

In a decisive year of countries using visas to control tourism, the term ‘visa-free’ dominated headlines and how visitors plan their itineraries. China expanded its visa-free entry policy, including nine countries such as Japan, Bulgaria, and Romania, for stays up to 30 days. Australia and New Zealand also gained visa-free access for up to 15 days. Kosovo and Israel agreed to a visa waiver for citizens of both nations, effective September 2024. South Asian nations also saw changes. Sri Lanka introduced a 30-day visa-free scheme for citizens of 35 countries; Thailand approved 60-day visa-free access for 93 countries, and Malaysia extended its visa exemption for Indian nationals.

Qatar Airways reclaims ‘World’s Best Airline’ title

Qatar Airways has been named the ‘World’s Best Airline’ for the eighth time in the history of the Skytrax Awards, which were announced this year. Two prime factors contribute to the recognition: top-tier service and a modern fleet. A Middle Eastern carrier with a strong history and many more success stories, Qatar Airways is often credited with helping Hamad International Airport establish itself as a leading global aviation hub.

TSA debuts self-screening checkpoint in Las Vegas

Automated conveyors, virtual agents for assistance, and remote monitoring of X-ray machines — this is how the self-screening technology at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas looks for travellers passing through. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) introduced the system in the first week of March. Since then, it has been under testing to reduce the need for TSA agents and improve the security process. As news about it started spreading, optimists predicted that if it were successful, its adaptation worldwide would change how we travel.

AlUla makes history with the first Dark Sky Parks in Saudi Arabia and the GCC

Saudi Arabia may be aiming for the title of best Astro tourism destination, and with AlUla Manara and AlGharameel Nature Reserves receiving the title of ‘first-ever Dark Sky Park’, it can be said it’s already halfway there. DarkSky International granted Dark Sky Park accreditation to two locations in AlUla County: AlUla Manara and AlGharameel Nature Reserve. This recognition is a key win for the Royal Commission for AlUla’s (RCU) agenda to preserve AlUla’s natural and cultural heritage.

Thailand extends suspension of TM6 immigration form

Thailand has announced the extension of its suspension of TM6 immigration forms until April 30 next year, alongside an expansion of visa-free access for more countries. This move is part of preparations for the 2025 rollout of the electronic travel authorisation (ETA) system, which further aims to simplify entry and good news for those who love a hassle-free, spontaneous trip. Approved by the Thai Cabinet, it covers 16 key land and sea entry points to reduce immigration delays and congestion.

Madhya Pradesh opens India’s first craft handloom tourism village

India’s first “Craft Handloom Tourism Village” was inaugurated in Pranpur, Chanderi, in early March. This initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Tourism and the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department, aims to turn each household into a production and sale centre for Chanderi sarees. This will allow tourists to witness the craft and purchase directly from weavers, contributing to the ministry’s broader goal of supporting local crafts and livelihoods.

Paris’ Notre Dame reopened after 5 years

More than 5 years after its devastating fire, Notre Dame, a medieval Catholic cathedral on the eastern end of Île de la Cité reopened as a restored masterpiece on December 8. The news around rebuilding the structure circled for years on front pages, a landmark held importance in both the travel and religious space. French President Emmanuel Macron praised the transformation during a tour showcasing its towering structure, vibrant stained glass, and meticulously restored sculptures. In his speech, he commended the restoration team, stating: “You turned charred coals into art,” a sentiment the entire nation agreed to. The public can now visit this iconic Parisian landmark, but some developments will continue in the background, like the rear nave slated for completion in 2025.

Sindalah opens as NEOM’s first luxury island destination

We have all long anticipated the day when the futuristic renderings of NEOM (meaning ‘new future’), a region northwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, would jump out of the travel news section and become a reality. On October 27, the opening of Sindalah, a luxury island and the first mega destination, alleviated some of the curiosity by giving potential visitors a taste of what hospitality in NEOM would look like. To paint a picture, currently, the destination boasts a yacht club designed by Stefano Ricci, an 18-hole golf course, and luxury resorts, including a 70-key Luxury Collection beach resort, a 115-key Luxury Collection city hotel, a 66-key Autograph Collection property, and a 277-key Four Seasons hotel opening in 2026. 

Thailand proposes ‘Schengen-style’ visa for Southeast Asia

The Thai government announced plans to give tourists a joint tourist visa with five ASEAN countries — Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Malaysia — allowing tourists to travel across these nations on a single visa, similar to the European Schengen Visa. The “6 countries, 1 destination” initiative will position Thailand as a central tourism hub in the ASEAN region. The newly launched Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) will also be eligible for a 180-day extension. The government also plans to roll out an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system for quicker, safer, and more efficient visa processing.

(Featured image credit: Mauricio Arias/Unsplash)

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Note:
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.

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