Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
India

More Indians fancying foreign vacations this summer

Rahul Vaishnavi Darpan, 08 Jun, 2014 01:11 PM
  • More Indians fancying foreign vacations this summer
 A strengthening rupee, the impact and influence of social media and, most importantly, the yearning of Indian travellers to explore the world, especially during the ongoing summer vacation, is contributing to the robust growth of India's outbound travel sector.
 
Growing at a steady 12 percent year-on-year, the experts estimate that over the next 20 years, India will be one of the top outbound travel markets in the region, and the 4.5 million travellers to Asia-Pacific destinations in 2011 will increase to a whopping 70 million by 2030.
 
"The key factors contributing to the robust growth are the strengthening rupee, the rise in disposable income, the desire to explore new places as well as the increasing influence of social media," Sharat Dhall, head of travel portal Yatra.com, told IANS.
 
"An ever-increasing number of Indian travellers are now choosing foreign destinations for holidaying," he added.
 
A survey by Yatra.com has shown that after the rupee strengthened, bookings for international summer holidays has picked up substantially with 89 percent of travellers considering such destinations.
 
And the ongoing summer vacations in schools and colleges in many parts of the country are also adding significant numbers to outbound travellers.
 
According to Nikhil Ganju, country manager, TripAdvisor India, which offers holiday advice for travellers from around the world, 66 percent of Indians are planning a foreign vacation this year, up by 21 percent compared to last year.
 
"On an average, Indians plan to increase their annual travel spend by 15 percent this year as compared to 2013," Ganju told IANS.
 
Experts said traditional holiday hotspots like Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, which are affordable due to their proximity to India, continue to remain the favourites.
 
However, the ongoing internal unrest in Thailand has benefitted places like Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
 
"South Asian destinations like Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong as well as Dubai and the UAE continue to remain a hit among Indian travellers this summer as well," said Mohit Gupta, chief business officer-holidays, MakeMyTrip.
 
"We are also seeing increasing interest in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean destinations as well as Cambodia, Vietnam and China," he added.
 
Overall, around 60 to 65 percent of the travellers prefer South Asian destinations, around 20 to 25 percent are choosing Dubai and Middle Eastern
vacations while the rest are heading to Europe, America, Australia and New Zealand, which tend to be high-priced.
 
Crediting the ever increasing popularity of social networking sites, executive director of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) Gour Kanjilal said in today's age of technology, such websites were playing a major role in helping people plan their vacations.
 
"Right from advertisements and special offers that help in luring the travellers to assist them in researching the chosen destination, technology and particularly the social media, is definitely influencing the people," he said.
 
According to Dhall, Yatra.com has been "aggressively" using the medium to reach out to potential travellers with promotional schemes, special offers and discounts, in addition to helping them in choosing a destination, researching it and making all the bookings.
 
"Fifty-two percent of Indian travellers are choosing destinations online this summer," said a survey conducted by Yatra.com.
 
Agreed Gupta, who said that social media had become an integral part of our daily lives and that social feedback was real-time, direct and demonstrably actionable.
 
"A lot of people now make travel decisions based on their friends' vacation pictures on Facebook, peer feedback on travel destinations and even feedback on the experience with the service provider," he said.

MORE India ARTICLES

US tourist molested on Delhi-Dehradun highway

US tourist molested on Delhi-Dehradun highway
A taxi driver was arrested Tuesday in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly molesting a US tourist on the Delhi-Dehradun highway, police said.

US tourist molested on Delhi-Dehradun highway

PM gets standing ovation on last working day in South Block office

PM gets standing ovation on last working day in South Block office
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was given a standing ovation by his staff during a farewell hosted for him Tuesday, his last working day at his South Block office, when the cabinet also met and cleared the elevation of the Indian Army vice chief, Lt. Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag, as the new head of the force.

PM gets standing ovation on last working day in South Block office

Modi Wave: Sensex Breaches 24,000-Mark

Modi Wave: Sensex Breaches 24,000-Mark
A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Tuesday crossed the 24,000-point mark for the first time in its history, recording the third straight high.

Modi Wave: Sensex Breaches 24,000-Mark

Don't write off Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party just yet!

Don't write off Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party just yet!
As the nation waits with bated breath for the results of the just concluded mammoth nine-stage election, one clear winner is already on display. And that is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its radically fresh and welcome electoral strategy. It is of little importance if it can send any member to parliament.

Don't write off Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party just yet!

BJP to crush Congress in battle for India, say exit polls

BJP to crush Congress in battle for India, say exit polls
The BJP-led NDA coalition is set to return to power in India led by its prime ministerial aspirant Narendra Modi, ending a decade of Congress-led rule, exit polls said Monday after the country's most bitterly fought general election ended.

BJP to crush Congress in battle for India, say exit polls

Reliance pleads not guilty in 2G case

Reliance pleads not guilty in 2G case
Reliance Telecom told a special court on second generation telecom spectrum allocation case Monday that it had violated no guidelines formulated by the government.

Reliance pleads not guilty in 2G case