Indian outbound tourism rises by 29%

The Dollar Business Bureau

The tour operators drew the attention of tourists, by offering low packages to fly to international tourist destinations resulting in the robust growth of outbound Indian tourists. Besides being affordable, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Maldives and Dubai were the hotspots for Indian tourists. The number of Indian passengers flying abroad increased by 29% in summers, said ASSOCHAM.

To beat the unrelenting heat in the country, the attractive packages for Dubai, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Europe and other places worked well to woo the middle-class segment, revealed the ASSOCHAM Tourism Development Council.

Despite the currency fluctuations and the economic slowdown, outbound tourism rose by 29% in 2016.

ASSOCHAM Secretary General, D S Rawat, believes that the ease of travelling also enhanced the growth in tourists, as all the facilities, right from hotel booking to airlines booking, are available on a click or a touch.

The starting range of the packages abroad are as low as Rs. 25,000-30,000. Some of the overseas packages like Thailand are even more cheaper and affordable than the costs incurred for Delhites to travel to Kerala. The businesses of aviation and tour operators is growing briskly this summer.

According to the ASSOCHAM paper, destinations like Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Maldives, Dubai, China and South Africa were Indian travelers’ favourites during summer.

While interests in cruise packages increased among Indian travelers, honeymooners are opting for Spain, Portugal, Kenya and Morocco. The rise in income levels, rapidly changing lifestyle, development in tourism, better offers, backed with policy and regulatory control led to the growth of the tourism industry.

According to estimates, Indian will account for about 50 million outbound tourists by 2020.