Author name: vibrantcoloursmagazine

~Partnership brings agentic AI, vision analytics and cloud infrastructure to unify travel and expense management across consumer and enterprise journeys~ National, 7th April 2026: Yatra Online, India’s largest corporate travel services provider and one of India’s leading online travel companies, today announced a strategic collaboration with Google Cloud to accelerate its AI-led transformation across both corporate and personal travel. By leveraging the multimodal capabilities of Google Gemini on Vertex AI, Yatra is building a new generation of intelligent, agentic travel solutions designed to simplify booking, enhance expense management, and deliver seamless end-to-end travel experiences. At the core of this collaboration is Yatra’s DIYA series of AI bots. Built with Gemini’s advanced natural language processing capabilities, DIYA acts as an advanced AI Agent, serving both consumer and enterprise customers and can accurately interpret complex customer queries and execute multiple sequential tasks,  and guide users through their complete travel lifecycle: from conversational, personalized itinerary planning all the way through to executing seamless final bookings. The system uses Function Calling to execute workflows—such as searching for flights or managing cancellations—by interacting directly with Yatra’s internal APIs in real-time. Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) also further allows DIYA to anchor its responses in Yatra’s vast proprietary travel databases and FAQs, providing travelers with reliable, conversational information that is specifically tailored to their itineraries and corporate policies. Yatra is also strengthening its expense management offering, RECAP, using Gemini’s advanced vision analytics and OCR capabilities. An industry-first innovation, this allows RECAP to seamlessly scan receipts, extract key data, and even log expenses through voice commands, significantly reducing manual effort and improving accuracy for enterprise customers. Commenting on the partnership, Siddhartha Gupta, CEO, Yatra Online, said, “AI is fundamentally reshaping how travel is planned, booked and managed. Our collaboration with Google Cloud allows us to reimagine the entire travel lifecycle. With DIYA, we are enabling a more intuitive, conversational booking experience, while RECAP simplifies expense management in a way that is intelligent and scalable. This is a significant step towards building a truly integrated travel ecosystem for both enterprises and consumers.” Shakti Goel, Chief Architect and Data Scientist, Yatra, added, “Our focus has been on building AI systems that work reliably at scale. Gemini’s superior natural language understanding and speed allow us to deliver highly accurate, real-time responses across complex travel use cases. Combined with our full migration to Google Cloud’s scalable and secure infrastructure, this gives us the foundation to continuously innovate while maintaining enterprise-grade performance and security.” Sashi Sreedharan, Managing Director, Google Cloud India commented, “Our work with Yatra is about moving beyond basic automation to true agentic assistance for travelers across India. By integrating Gemini’s reasoning capabilities, Yatra is enabling AI agents that don’t just provide information but actively execute complex workflows—from real-time booking adjustments to automated expense filing. This collaboration allows Google Cloud’s AI to remove the administrative friction from the travel lifecycle, helping businesses and consumers focus more on their travel goals.” Importantly, the integration is built on Google Cloud’s enterprise-grade security, ensuring that Yatra’s proprietary enterprise data remains protected and is not used to train public models. With this, Yatra is advancing its data science roadmap across data analytics, machine learning, and agentic AI, positioning itself to deliver more integrated, intelligent travel and expense experiences at scale for both enterprises and consumers.

~ Targets high-value forex flows from Gujarat to key global corridors, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Germany ~ Niyo, India’s travel fintech platform, has announced the launch of its Niyo Forex branch in Ahmedabad, as part of its plan to build a 50-branch nationwide “phygital” network. The expansion strengthens its presence across high-growth cross-border corridors by combining a digital-first platform with on-ground access in key travel and remittance markets. The Ahmedabad branch operates under Kanji Forex Pvt. Ltd., an RBI-licensed Authorised Dealer Category II entity, marking Niyo Forex’s entry into one of India’s most active regions for outbound travel, student mobility, and remittances. This move follows Niyo’s aggressive expansion strategy, with the company launching its Chennai branch just last week, underscoring its rapid push to scale its physical footprint alongside its digital offerings Amit Talwar, CEO, Niyo Forex, said, “Gujarat state has been a significant contributor to Indians moving overseas, with an estimated 5-6 million people of Gujarati origin living outside India. The Gujarati community has a long history of seafaring and migration, something that started with movement to East Africa and in the last few decades, spreading across countries like the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and now Germany. Ahmedabad, being the largest city and former capital of the state, is the key hub for cross-border movement, driven by outbound demand from students, globally connected businesses, and international travellers. Europe is cited as a favourite leisure destination This makes it imperative for Niyo to have a local presence and cater to the forex demand in the state, on the back of its transparent, seamless forex solutions.” The branch will offer a comprehensive suite of services, including forex cards, forex cash, and outward remittances, along with value-added travel services such as flight and hotel bookings, visa assistance, eSIMs, and travel insurance, all delivered through a digital-first, transparent pricing model. India’s outward remittances under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) stood at USD 31.73 billion in FY2023–24, with international travel accounting for over 57% of total outflows. Gujarat continues to be a major source market for student mobility, with a steady flow of students heading to global education hubs like the  UK, Australia, US and Canada with Gujarat contributing nearly 8%, placing it among the leading states. Sai Sankar, Chief Business Officer, Niyo Forex, added, Gujaratis account for ~18% of India’s outbound tourists travel, with average spend per Gujarati international traveller around ₹1.5 lakh per trip but pricing opacity and offline dependency continue to shape customer experience. Our phygital model addresses this gap by combining digital convenience with the trust and support of a physical presence.” The region’s importance is further reinforced by GIFT City, India’s International Financial Services Centre, along with Ahmedabad’s direct connectivity to 16 countries across Asia, the UK, and the Middle East – supporting sustained outbound demand. Niyo currently serves over one million outbound Indian travellers and has an established presence across metros including Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, NCR, Hyderabad and Chennai. The Ahmedabad launch strengthens its Western India footprint and marks a strategic step in expanding across high-potential regional markets.

The Ministry of Tourism promotes tourism in the North Eastern Region (NER) through a range of initiatives. The Ministry organises the International Tourism Mart on a rotational basis in the North Eastern States to showcase tourism products and destinations to domestic and international buyers, media and influencers. Thirteen editions of the Mart have been held so far, with the last (13th) edition conducted in Sikkim in November 2025. The Ministry also provides Central Financial Assistance to the North Eastern states for organising tourism-related events and festivals. It regularly conducts familiarization trips for tour operators, opinion makers and influencers, and promotes the region through its website and social media platforms. Further, complimentary space is provided to North Eastern States in the India Pavilion during international tourism fairs and exhibitions. The Ministry also has field offices at Guwahati, Shillong, Imphal and Naharlagun, which undertake promotional activities throughout the year. The Ministry of Tourism provides financial assistance to State Governments in the North Eastern Region (NER) under its schemes of Swadesh Darshan 2.0, PRASHAD, Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD) and Assistance to Central Agencies for development of tourism infrastructure with modern amenities. Cleanliness is given due emphasis under these schemes, including components relating to upkeep and maintenance of tourist destinations. Further, seamless connectivity is being enhanced in coordination with the Ministry of Civil Aviation through Viability Gap Funding under the Champion Service Sector Scheme, including regional air connectivity routes in the NER.  Safety and security of tourists is primarily a state subject. However, the Ministry regularly takes up the matter with State Governments/UT Administrations to strengthen on-ground safety mechanisms, including deployment of Tourism Police. A 24×7 Multilingual Tourist Helpline (1363/1800111363) has also been operationalised to assist domestic and foreign tourists.