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By Nithyakala Neelakandan
Published on July 17, 2024
The Olympics is one of the global events that can significantly boost both travel and advertising sectors. This year, spending on advertisements for events such as the Super Bowl, Olympics, and European Championship is projected to hit $61 billion. These events not only increase ad revenues but also drive substantial travel demand. For instance, flight bookings to Singapore surged by 63% before the F1 Grand Prix, and trips to Qatar were booked well in advance of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Such events also maintain interest in host destinations long after they conclude. Following the Qatar World Cup, international lodging searches in the country rose by 79-255%.
Similarly, scheduled from July 26 to August 11, 2024, the Olympics is expected to attract 10,500 athletes from 206 countries, marking the largest event ever hosted in France.
Paris Sees a Spike in Flight Bookings
Paris is already a top tourist destination, with 6.3 million visitors to the Eiffel Tower in 2023 alone. The upcoming Olympics are set to enhance this popularity. Since tickets for the 33rd Olympic Games went on sale on November 30, 2023, flight bookings to Paris have increased by 125% compared to the same period last year. Most travelers plan to depart the city as soon as the Olympics end, suggesting many come from countries like the United States, where extended leave is uncommon. The average trip length has shortened to 11 days from 13.2 days in 2023, indicating that the games are influencing travel plans.
Paris remains a favorite summer destination, especially for American travelers. During the Olympic period, 23.8% of flight bookings to Paris are from the United States, followed by Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Spain. The U.S. also led the medal counts in the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, likely contributing to the high demand.
Leveraging Increased Travel Demand
Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) can benefit from the heightened travel interest by using continuous, multichannel marketing strategies. Noreen Henry, Chief Revenue Officer at Sojern, said “By using the right channels throughout the year—not just seasonally—DMOs can reach travelers in the moment and inspire them to think beyond sporting events. Not only do always-on, multichannel campaigns give DMOs better insights, but these types of campaigns enable them to maximize their budgets, do more with less, and get in front of travelers at every stage of the planning cycle.”
Travel Data from Amadeus Shows Significant Increases
Amadeus, a leading provider of travel technology, also reports a surge in travel interest. As of June 6, 2024, international air travel to France is up 56% for the Olympic period from July 24 to August 13. Domestic air travel within France has increased by 31%. Paris, in particular, is expecting 72% more travelers than the same period last year. The Paralympics, from August 28 to September 8, will boost travel to Paris by 16%, especially from the United States, Spain, and Canada.
Lille, hosting basketball and handball events, anticipates a 203% increase in visitors compared to last summer, with domestic travel growing by 300% and international travel by 181%. Bordeaux, hosting football, and Marseille, hosting sailing and football, also see significant increases in bookings, both up by 38%.
With the Olympics approaching, the hospitality sector in France is gearing up for a busy season, driven by substantial increases in both international and domestic travel bookings.
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By Nishang Narayan
Published on May 30, 2025
Spalba, a SaaS-enabled B2B venue marketplace, has set its sights on a ₹100 crore turnover by FY 2026. The company recently closed FY 2025 with a consolidated turnover of ₹60 crore, marking an impressive 3000% year-on-year growth since its inception just five years ago. What makes this journey even more remarkable? Spalba remains fully bootstrapped and profitable, a rarity in today’s startup ecosystem.
Driven by innovation, Spalba is expanding rapidly across Asia. The platform has entered six new markets—Malaysia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bhutan, and Nepal—taking its VenueTech vision global. Back home, the company plans to grow its venue inventory from 11,000 to 13,000 and expand property listings from 2,067 to 4,500 by FY26, effectively doubling its offering and increasing its presence in over 80 Indian cities.
“Our journey from a bootstrapped startup to a ₹60 crore revenue run-rate has been driven by continuous innovation and an unwavering commitment to customer success,” said Vishal Puri, Co-Founder of Spalba. “With our tech-first approach—combining AR-powered Virtual Property Tours, an Event Mockup Builder, AI-driven sales tools, and more—we expect to cross ₹100 crore by FY 2026 and continue modernizing India’s ₹200 billion events industry.”
Over 250 marquee properties including The Leela, Radisson Hotel Group, Accor, and The Oberoi have partnered with Spalba to streamline venue sales and boost cross-selling opportunities. The platform not only simplifies the venue booking process with immersive digital walkthroughs but also reduces the need for paperwork and physical site visits—supporting both revenue growth and sustainability for its clients.
Founded in 2020, Spalba is redefining event planning by making venue discovery and booking faster, smarter, and more collaborative. Its roadmap to ₹100 crore highlights a focus on scalable innovation, customer-centric solutions, and long-term value creation—all without raising external funding.
Published on May 27, 2025
Starbucks India posted a 5% rise in revenue to ₹1,277 crore in FY25, but the good news ended there. Losses widened significantly by 65% to ₹135.7 crore, up from ₹82 crore in the previous year, reflecting the growing strain on profitability amid soft demand in the quick service restaurant (QSR) segment.
Operating under a 50:50 joint venture with Tata Consumer Products as Tata Starbucks Pvt Ltd, the company noted that almost half of the losses—₹67.6 crore—were borne by Tata Consumer. According to the brand’s annual report, demand across the QSR space remained muted through most of the year, though a rebound was noted in the latter half. Still, profitability remained under pressure.
Despite the headwinds, Starbucks continued to expand, opening 58 new outlets and entering 19 new cities, including several in tier-2 markets. However, this was a notable slowdown compared to the 95 new outlets launched in the previous year. As of now, Starbucks operates 479 stores across 80 Indian cities.
The company remains optimistic about long-term growth in India. “We remain committed to increasing our store base in India and get to 1,000 outlets by FY28, despite a more moderate number of store openings in the short term,” Starbucks said in a statement.
Tata Consumer Products Chairman N Chandrasekaran addressed the broader economic landscape, noting that India remains a stronghold of economic growth amid global uncertainty. “India’s long-term growth is underpinned by strong demographic and economic fundamentals and ongoing structural reforms,” he told shareholders.
However, rising competition from both international and domestic brands continues to challenge Starbucks’ market share. Rivals like Tim Hortons and Pret A Manger have entered the Indian market with aggressive expansion plans, while homegrown brands like Third Wave Coffee and Blue Tokai already operate more than 250 outlets combined.
A senior QSR official highlighted a key operational challenge: “Starbucks’ revenue per square foot is about 35% lower compared to metros. Also, city stores seem to be cannibalising heavily after it opened stores at a record pace in cities such as Mumbai and Delhi.”
While a strong takeaway culture offers a margin boost, uneven store performance continues to drag the bottom line. Some stores thrive, but others suffer from low footfalls and declining revenue per square foot, affecting overall profitability.
With the coffee wars heating up and Indian consumers spoilt for choice, Starbucks will need more than just store count to brew up sustained success in the coming years.
Published on May 18, 2025
OYO is riding high on its corporate wave. The global hospitality tech brand has added over 3500 new corporate clients in FY25 through its business accelerator division, marking a 20% year-on-year growth in this segment. With this, OYO’s corporate network now exceeds 6500 clients, ranging from large enterprises to traditional business houses and startups.
Mumbai emerged as the top-performing city, onboarding over 700 clients, followed by Hyderabad (400) and Pune (350). Other metros such as Chennai and Bangalore also contributed significantly to the growth.
Some of the key additions to OYO’s client roster include SBI Life, Cult Fit, and Sun TV Direct, further strengthening its footprint among large, pan-India brands.
The growth momentum picked up following the launch of Oravel Travel Solutions in October 2024—a dedicated vertical to meet the end-to-end needs of corporate travellers. From smooth check-ins at over 1100 serviced hotels across 300+ cities, curated meal options and conference support, to tailor-made event and holiday packages, OYO has positioned itself as a comprehensive solution for business travel.
Manish Kashyap, Head of OYO Business Accelerator, noted:
“The growth has been driven not just by large corporations but also by a diverse mix of SMEs, traditional business houses, startups, travel management companies, and even film production houses. These clients are increasingly leveraging OYO’s expansive network, flexible bookings, and tech-enabled tools to meet their evolving travel needs.”
OYO also witnessed a rise in long-term and event-based stays, signaling a shift in how businesses engage with hospitality solutions.
With a strong pipeline ahead, OYO aims to double down on its premium brand offerings like SUNDAY, Palette, Clubhouse Townhouse, Townhouse O, and Collection O.
According to the Global Business Travel Association, India has become the 4th largest business travel market in Asia-Pacific, with rising SME activity playing a major role. These trends have set the stage for OYO to scale faster and meet the evolving demands of modern corporate travel.
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