The Rise of the Indian Traveller
22/05/2008 by Bryan Palmer
The Indian economy is booming and the fact that Indians are becoming avid international travellers highlights this. Various countries are now wooing the Indian traveller in order to attract this lucrative Indian market.
For many years India has been an extremely popular destination for travel, particularly due to its affordability, ancient cultural heritage and tropical climate. However as more tourists go to India, so more Indians travel abroad seeking exciting and exotic travel opportunities.
Wealthy Indians have always been common travellers, however now more middle class Indian citizen also have the opportunity to go places. This is driven by disposable income, more affordable holiday packages and cheap air travel carriers such as SpiceJet and Go Air.
According to Euromonitor International, a marketing research company, the number of Indian tourists is bound to double in the next five years. They believe that by 2011 the United States will be the holiday destination of choice for Indians, particularly as more Indian citizens have family living in the US.
Global Visas in India deal with visa and permit applications for a variety of global destinations on a daily basis. "For most countries Indian citizens need a tourist visa in order to enter," says Ajay Hasija of www.globalvisas.com. "The amount of Indians looking for holiday visas has grown greatly in the past few years and there is no doubt that the Indian economy is the core reason for this," he adds.
Countries, like Britain, are trying hard to tap into this growing market through attractive and affordable campaigns such as the current UK tourism promotion entitled, "Britain, Be Inspired". Britain is a popular tourist destination, with thousands of foreigners visiting each year. Indians are believed to be the second highest spenders in the UK, spending over £300 million on holidays in 2006.
In the past few years India has become a financial powerhouse, particularly due to their international competitiveness in the technology and IT industry, as well as becoming a tourist destination of choice. This economic progress has put more money in the pockets of the working man, enabling them to travel abroad.
Indians are looking at exotic international locations such as Thailand and Malaysia, with overseas travel sometimes being more affordable than regions within India itself.
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