OYO Hotels & Homes raised funding from U.S.-based accommodation platform Airbnb.
As per reports, the investment by Airbnb is pegged between $100 and $200 million.
As part of this 'strategic investment', both parties are exploring opportunities to collaborate on a range of projects, including making OYO's accommodations available on Airbnb's platform.
Mar 19, 2019
Brookfield-backed Fund to Buy Leela Hotels
Hotel Leela Venture Limited (HLVL) has entered into a binding agreement with a Brookfield Asset Management (Brookfield)-sponsored private real estate fund to sell, by way of slump sale, four company-owned Leela hotels located at Bengaluru, Chennai, New Delhi and Udaipur and the property that it owns in Agra.
The total transaction value is Rs. 3,950 crore plus the applicable transaction costs.
The above transaction, which is expected to be completed in three-to-six months, is subject to the approval of shareholders, lenders and other regulatory and statutory approvals.
The transaction also includes assignment of all hotel management contracts currently in operation and or under development along with the employees of the hotels.
Visa on Arrival
More than 50 countries across the world provide visa on arrival for Indian citizens.
Currently, 59 countries from around the world offer visa on arrival facility to Indian passport holders.
Recently added to the list are Kazakhstan, Thailand and Turkey [Indian passport holders who have valid visa or residence permit from Schengen, US, UK and Ireland].
The number of countries where you have the facility of visa on arrival has increased, mainly owing to the soaring number of international travel from India.
The outbound travel segment in India is growing rapidly. In the last five to six years, the number of countries that has granted visa exemptions or simplified visa processes to Indians grew tremendously.
Mar 10, 2019
Red-flagged Andamans Tourism Project
The Environment Ministry has amended laws that now allow a proposed tourism project in the Aves Island of the Andaman and Nicobar Island territory, to come up.
The project was the only one of three high-profile proposed tourism projects that did not get a clearance from an expert committee on coastal clearance in February.
This was because the proposed Aves Island project was located 20 m away from the High Tide Line (HTL) and existing rules required such projects to be at least 50 m away.
Terminal for Kartarpur Pilgrims
The Centre has approved a state-of-the-art passenger terminal building, spread over 50 acres and estimated at Rs. 190 crore, for the Kartarpur Corridor.
A 300-foot-high flagpole, bearing the tricolour, will also be erected at the International Border.
The passenger terminal building complex will have all amenities for pilgrims visiting the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara across the border in Pakistan.
The approval came after the Cabinet decided in November 2018 to develop the Kartarpur Corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district of Punjab to the International Border.
The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI), mandated to build and operate integrated checkpoints along the land borders, has reportedly been entrusted with this task.
It has been directed to complete the work before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in November 2019.
The design of the complex has been inspired by the symbol 'Khanda,' which represents the values of oneness and humanity.