India and South Asia’s passenger air traffic will rise an average of 7% annually over the next 20 years, spurred by a growing middle class, economic growth and airport and connectivity investments, Boeing said recently. That demand for air travel means airlines will need nearly 3,300 new airplanes by 2044 as projected in the company’s Commercial Market Outlook (CMO) for South Asia.

Nepal has emerged as the world’s most “nature-connected” nation, ranking first in a global study that examined how people in 61 countries relate to the natural world. According to the study, published in the journal Ambio and cited by The Guardian, Nepal leads the list, followed by Iran, South Africa, Bangladesh and Nigeria. Other countries in the top ten include Chile, Croatia, Ghana, Bulgaria and Tunisia.

That Bhutan is a kingdom transformed into a premier, high value, low-impact Himalayan tourist destination is known. So it does come as a surprise that the award of Best Leading Heritage Destination awarded to the Himalayan kingdom at the South Asian Travel Awards (SATA) 2025 in Sri Lanka recently was the first recognition of the country at the event. Following this recognition, there is much expectation among the tourism stakeholders in the country. The Hotel and Restaurant A