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UPI Now Works in Greece, Making It the Tenth Country Where Indian Travellers Can Pay by Phone

India's UPI went live in Greece on 30 June 2026 through a partnership between NPCI International and Eurobank, making it the tenth country where Indian travellers can scan a local QR code and pay directly from their rupee bank account.

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India Slipped to 81st on the Henley Passport Index in Its Latest Update, Here's What That Means for Travellers

The Henley Passport Index's most recent ranking, released on 21 July 2026, put the Indian passport at 81st globally with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 55 destinations, down from 75th earlier in the year.

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Maldives Will Start Taxing Foreign Booking Platforms and Tour Operators From 1 October

From 1 October 2026, the Maldives will extend its 17% Tourism Goods and Services Tax to overseas tour operators, travel agents and booking platforms selling Maldives holidays, a change that could feed through into prices for travellers booking outside the country.

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India's Airports Are Mid-Way Through a 24-Day Passenger Service Drive, Ending 10 October

The Airports Authority of India launched its Yatri Seva Abhiyan on 17 September 2026, a 24-day campaign running through 10 October that dedicates each day to a specific passenger issue, from baggage handling to facilities for elderly and differently-abled travellers.

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Arunachal Pradesh's New Permit Rules Bring 24/7 Digital Approval for Tourists

New Inner Line Permit guidelines published in Arunachal Pradesh's Official Gazette in March 2026 have moved tourist permits almost entirely onto a digital e-ILP portal, cutting processing times for travellers heading to Tawang and beyond.

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Char Dham Yatra Registration Now Needs an Aadhaar-Linked Biometric Check, With This Season Closing Out by Late November

Uttarakhand has tied Aadhaar-based biometric registration into the mandatory Char Dham Yatra process for the 2026 season, which is now in its final weeks, with Kedarnath's portals due to close on 23 October and Badrinath's on 25 November.

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India's Paper Disembarkation Card Is Gone for Good, and OCI Holders Now Need the Digital Version Too

Since 1 April 2026, every foreign national and OCI cardholder flying into India must file a free e-Arrival Card online before departure, after the paper disembarkation form was withdrawn entirely.

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Air India Express Just Added Six Domestic Airports, and Aurangabad's New Flights Make Ajanta and Ellora Easier to Reach

Air India Express began flying to Aurangabad, Coimbatore, Jamnagar, Jodhpur, Madurai and Tirupati from 1 September 2026, taking its network to 64 destinations and putting the Ajanta and Ellora caves a direct flight away for more Indian cities.

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The Gulf's Answer to the Schengen Visa Is Moving to a Pilot This Quarter, Starting With UAE-Bahrain

The long-discussed GCC unified tourist visa is moving to a pilot phase in the last quarter of 2026, starting with a UAE-Bahrain air corridor, with the remaining four Gulf states expected to follow later.

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India Has Stopped Stamping Boarding Passes at Immigration, Effective 1 September 2026

India's Bureau of Immigration has stopped stamping boarding passes at departure counters from 1 September 2026, letting international travellers clear immigration with just an electronic boarding pass on their phone.

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Air India to Launch Nonstop Mumbai-Toronto Flights From 25 October

Air India will begin nonstop flights between Mumbai and Toronto on 25 October 2026, running three times a week on a Boeing 777-300ER and making it the only airline flying the route direct this winter.

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Guwahati Now Has Northeast India's First Direct Flights to the Gulf

Air India Express began direct flights from Guwahati to Dubai and Abu Dhabi in August 2026, the first non-stop air link between Northeast India and West Asia, running weekly on each route.