Two Emblems of India Tourism Cut Costs to Stay Afloat


Skift Take

Air India and Oyo couldn’t be more different, not just in their respective businesses, but both could be gone in a New York minute if they aren’t able get past the biggest test they face currently.

In this issue, India takes center stage with two of its homegrowns making news for the wrong reasons, as the first two articles below report. One is a frail old lady, unable to find a suitor. The other is youthful exuberance meets hard realities and reckoning. Air India and Oyo have nothing in common save that both are struggling. They offer valuable insights on airline distribution and cheap hotels, respectively. From Air India, we see how distribution costs are so high that the expense can be used as a weapon by a hard-up airline. The article also shows that travel agents are not dying, despite years of airlines cutting their commissions and getting customers to book direct. This is particularly true in huge Asian markets such as India, China, and Ind