Welcome to Top of the Morning by Mint, your weekday newscast that brings you five major stories from the world of business. It's Thursday, December 5, 2024. This is Nelson John, let's get started.

India's appeal as a travel destination has yet to fully recover, with foreign tourist arrivals still falling short of their 2019 peak. In 2023, the country welcomed 9.24 million international visitors—a notable improvement from 2022, but still below the nearly 11 million seen pre-pandemic. Midway through 2024, the numbers suggest that breaching the 10 million mark this year remains unlikely. Why the sluggish recovery? While global tourism approaches pre-COVID levels, India lags, facing stiff competition from Southeast Asian neighbors and grappling with domestic challenges such as safety concerns, pollution, and inadequate infrastructure, writes Sumant Banerji.

Honda Cars India is gearing up for a green future with plans to launch hybrid and electric vehicles by 2027 to comply with the upcoming stage-3 Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) norms. These regulations aim to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions across an automaker’s fleet. Despite challenges with the current rules, CEO Takuya Tsumura is driving the company’s electrification strategy, with plans to introduce three electric models by 2026-27, including a battery electric vehicle based on the Honda Elevate mid-SUV model. Globally, Honda is targeting a fully electrified lineup by 2040, with two-thirds of its sales as electric vehicles by 2030, reports Alisha Sachdev. This shift marks a significant pivot in Honda’s strategy to align with stricter emission standards and achieve its broader environmental goals.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) is poised to tighten its grip on surrogate advertising, with draft guidelines expected soon. These new rules aim to address loopholes in digital marketing and celebrity endorsements, particularly concerning the indirect promotion of restricted products like alcohol under the guise of unrelated items such as music CDs or glassware. Developed after consultations with stakeholders, including the beverage industry and consumer groups, the draft guidelines mandate that products used for promotions must be verifiably available in the market, not created solely for advertisements, reports Dhirendra Kumar. The proposed regulations also specify that only unrestricted products—those not banned or heavily regulated—can feature brand names without falling under the purview of surrogate advertising. Furthermore, these products must be registered with the relevant authorities and should avoid any direct or indirect association with restricted items.

The Supreme Court is set to rule on whether lawyers can also work as journalists without breaching ethical boundaries. The case revolves around a Mohd. Kamran, a lawyer and freelance journalist, whose dual roles came under scrutiny after he filed a defamation suit against a former lawmaker. This sparked questions about whether such dual roles conflict with the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) rules. The BCI generally prohibits lawyers from engaging in other paid professions to avoid conflicts of interest and ensure they remain focused on their legal duties. However, exceptions exist for non-salaried roles like journalism, as long as they do not interfere with a lawyer’s primary responsibilities. The legal community is divided. Critics argue that juggling both professions could lead to ethical lapses, such as compromising client confidentiality. Supporters, however, believe lawyers could play a vital role in simplifying legal concepts for the public through journalism. Mint’s legal correspondent Krishna Yadav breaks down the key legal issues and implications of this landmark case.

Many independent musicians are losing out on significant royalties, particularly from streaming and social media platforms. Rakesh Nigam, CEO of the Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS), told Lata Jha that while digital platforms offer substantial revenue opportunities, many artists fail to fully capitalize on them. IPRS works to educate artists about registering and tracking their music on these platforms to earn royalties from multiple streams, including live performances, radio, and digital downloads. Streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, for example, pay royalties for both sound recordings and song compositions. However, many musicians miss out due to a lack of awareness about how to properly register and credit their work. Additionally, other revenue streams such as social media and sync licensing—where music is used in TV shows, films, and advertisements—remain underutilized by many artists, further limiting their earnings.

Mint Primer: Are foreign tourists giving India a miss?

Honda Cars bets on hybrid, electric line-up to meet stricter CO2 emission norms

Surrogate advertising draft guidelines ready for public consultation

Mint Explainer: Can lawyers also be journalists?

Independent artistes, musicians struggle to collect royalty from digital platforms; get support from managers, IPRS