Wednesday, July 8th, 2026.
Welcome to Quests Daily | Your Compass for the Day in Travel.
The Lead Story: MakeMyTrip Builds A Hotel Loyalty Layer Around Stays
MakeMyTrip has launched OneCircle, a global rewards programme covering 13,376 accommodation properties across 1,002 cities worldwide as of June 30, 2026. The network includes hotels and alternate accommodations, with more than 12,330 properties across 868 Indian cities and 1,046 international properties across 39 countries and 134 destinations. Travellers earn at least 10% of their accommodation spend back as reward points, redeemable on their next stay within the network. The programme is heavily weighted towards non-metro supply, with three in four participating properties located in tier 2 and tier 3 Indian cities.
This gives MakeMyTrip a retention product around accommodation at a time when hotels and packages are doing more of the growth work inside the business. In FY26, MakeMyTrip’s hotels and packages gross bookings rose 14.8% in constant currency, driven by a 17.6% rise in hotel-room nights, while air ticketing saw softer growth and domestic airline supply constraints affected the wider market. A rewards layer across thousands of partner properties gives MMT a way to push repeat stay behaviour beyond pure discounting, especially in fragmented hotel markets where many properties cannot run loyalty programmes of their own. It also gives participating hotels a clearer demand channel inside MMT’s ecosystem, while the platform strengthens customer data, repeat booking frequency and accommodation-led wallet share.
The Briefing:
Saudi Arabia Pilots A Package Visa:
Saudi Arabia has launched a Package Visa pilot that lets eligible visitors obtain a tourist visa through an integrated package including flights, licensed accommodation and other travel services. Approved travel providers can also add events, activities and attractions, giving Saudi a more packaged route to longer stays and higher trip spend.Riyadh Air Opens Mumbai Bookings:
Riyadh Air has opened bookings for daily Riyadh-Mumbai flights starting August 4, 2026, making Mumbai its 10th destination. The route adds a new full-service Gulf option into India and gives Riyadh Air an early South Asia anchor as its network scales.SpiceJet Cuts July Flying By 44%:
SpiceJet has scheduled 2,326 flights in July versus 4,156 in April, with fleet constraints pushing the airline to temporarily suspend routes including Chennai, Guwahati and Varanasi. The capacity pullback may help schedule reliability, but it reduces available inventory and makes route planning more fragile.IHG Brings Crowne Plaza Back To Austria:
IHG will open the 195-room Crowne Plaza Vienna towards the end of Q3 2026, taking its Vienna portfolio to 11 properties open or in pipeline. Vienna logged more than 20 million overnight stays in 2025, giving the brand a strong demand base for its meeting, leisure and blended-travel positioning.
Bihar Turns Air Access Into A Tourism Product
What happened: Bihar will launch helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft services from July 15 under a six-month pilot connecting Patna with Rajgir, Kaimur and Valmikinagar. The Patna-Rajgir helicopter seat will cost Rs 4,000, Valmikinagar access by government fixed-wing aircraft will cost Rs 5,000, Kaimur will cost Rs 6,000, and a 10-minute weekend Patna helicopter joyride will be priced at Rs 2,100 per seat. BSTDC will handle bookings, marketing, refunds and tourism packages, while aviation operations sit with the Directorate of Civil Aviation.
Why it matters: Bihar is trying to turn difficult access into a bookable premium tourism product. The state recorded more than 82 million visitors in 2023, compared with over 35 million in 2019, and tourism development expenditure reached Rs 287.5 crore in 2026. Short-hop air access can help package Buddhist heritage, pilgrimage and wildlife circuits into higher-value itineraries with shorter travel time. The operating challenge is capacity, subsidy dependence and consistent demand beyond launch curiosity, especially when aircraft utilisation, helipad readiness and refund handling shape traveller confidence.
Visual- Stat of the Day:
Takeaway: The projected 10.2% CAGR for camping and caravanning from 2026 to 2033 shows outdoor stays moving further into organised travel inventory. Pitch and campsite rental led revenue share in 2025, while vehicle rental is expected to grow fastest through 2033. For travel platforms and stay operators, the opportunity is not only “adventure travel”; it is bookable, flexible, lower-commitment accommodation that fits road trips, short breaks and self-directed itineraries. Inventory depth, verified facilities, cancellation clarity and live availability will decide how much of this demand moves through organised digital channels.
Etihad Rail Sets The Rules Before Passenger Services Scale:
Case: Etihad Rail has published its Passenger Charter, setting out rules on valid tickets, security screening, passenger removal, denied carriage and disruption handling. The charter gives the operator authority to conduct random security checks, require valid tickets before boarding, remove passengers who violate rules, and deny refunds or compensation in some breach cases. If a train is delayed by 30 minutes or more, passengers can choose not to travel and may rebook or receive a full refund.
Where it helps: The charter gives UAE rail a clearer operating framework before passenger rail becomes a larger part of domestic mobility. Automated gates, named tickets, screening rules and disruption communication through email, SMS, WhatsApp, station displays and onboard announcements create the base for predictable passenger handling. That helps rail move closer to aviation-style journey management, where rules, refunds and enforcement are defined before scale creates ambiguity.
Risk: Strict enforcement can protect safety and punctuality, but it also raises the service burden. Passengers new to intercity rail will need clear pre-trip communication on ticket validity, baggage screening, refund rights and conduct rules. Confusion at gates or during disruptions can quickly become a customer-experience issue if policies are written clearly but not explained simply across booking, station and onboard touchpoints.
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