How will India's travel boom impact the world?
According to
More Indians than ever are going on holiday abroad – so where are they heading and why?
https://theconversation.com/more-indians-than-ever-are-going-on-holiday-abroad-so-where-are-they-heading-and-why-237837
Below is a graph of 'World and regional international tourist arrivals compared to 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic' shown by the United Nations Tourism Organization. We can see that globally, it was '-69%' in 2021, but recovered to '-4%' in the first half of 2024. Africa and the Middle East are turning positive compared to 2019, with Africa recovering to '+7%' in the first half of 2024 and the Middle East recovering rapidly to '+31%' by 2023.
India is a major contributor to the increase in tourists in the Middle East. According to a Reuters report, Indian low-cost airline IndiGo announced an order for 500 aircraft, the largest order ever, at an aviation event held in June 2024. Aviation consultancy and government data predict that the number of domestic air passengers in India will surge from 144 million in 2019 to 350 million by 2030, while the number of international air passengers is expected to increase from 64 million in 2019 to 160 million.
Cook attributes India's travel boom to the 'growth of the middle class.' In 2024, the middle class will account for 31% of the population, but due to the expansion of the Indian market, this is expected to grow to 38% in 2031 and 60% in 2047.
Countries that Indian travelers often choose include relatively close Southeast Asia, which is within the reach of popular low-cost airlines. In fact, Google Trends data showed that Vietnam was the most searched travel destination from India in 2023. Cook also said that Indian travelers are heavily influenced by television and movies, and Bollywood settings tend to become temporarily popular. In the past, the number of Indian tourists visiting Spain increased by 40% in the year that the movie ' One Life, Two Lifes ' was a hit, which depicts the events that occur on a trip to Spain between Indian childhood friends.
For this reason, we are seeing tourist destinations using Bollywood actors in their promotional campaigns. Dubai has used Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan for its promotions, while New Zealand has appointed popular actor Siddharth Malhotra as its brand ambassador since 2015, in an attempt to target Indian tourists with its advertising. Below is a promotional video released by the Dubai Economy and Tourism Board's YouTube channel, which was shot when Khan was invited to Dubai.
Dubai Presents: Shah Rukh Khan - YouTube
The United Nations Tourism Organization has indicated that the economic impact of Indian tourists will reach $33.3 billion (approximately 4 trillion yen) in 2023 due to the growing travel boom, and various tourist destinations are promoting Indian travelers. For example, Japan has introduced a system of 'easy and convenient electronic visas' in hopes of increasing the number of Indian tourists. There are many countries in Europe where visa applications are cumbersome and time-consuming, and according to data shown by travel platform Booking.com, Indian travelers tend to spend only 30 days on planning on average, so many are choosing Japan and the Middle East where it is easy to obtain a visa.
Other countries are also working to attract Indian tourists with similar visas, such as Dubai's policy that once issued, visas are valid for five years and can be freely entered and exited, and Malaysia, Kenya, Thailand, and others that have completely abolished visa requirements for Indian tourists. Cook said, 'Chinese people make up the largest tourist population, but as Chinese people are increasingly choosing to travel domestically, Indian tourists may soon overtake Chinese people. In India, airport departure lobbies are becoming more crowded, and tourist destinations around the world are turning their attention to Indian tourists, competing fiercely for market share.'
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