The Indian Outbound Travel Market with Special Insight into the Image of Europe as a Destination
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The Indian Outbound Travel Market with Special Insight into the Image of Europe as a Destination
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Category: Asia Pacific - India - Industry economy
- Figures / Studies
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2009-08-03
India is one of the fastest-growing outbound travel markets in the world. International tourism departures from India have grown from 3.7 million in 1997 to 9.8 million in 2007 and international tourism expenditures have increased from US$ 1.3 billion in 1997 to US$ 8.2 billion in 2008.
With more than 1.1 billion inhabitants and GDP increasing by more than 8% every year, the country offers enormous potential for future growth in outbound travel. Recognizing the importance of this market, the European Travel Commission (ETC) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) have undertaken detailed research on the Indian Outbound market.
The Indian Outbound Travel Market with Special Insight into the Image of Europe as a Destination, covers issues such as travellers’ behaviour and patterns – destination choice, purpose of travel, spending, holiday activities, market segmentation, like air transport, the profile and structure of the travel trade, as well as the media or internet use trends. The report also sets out comprehensive recommendations on how to best promote a destination in the Indian market.
Summary
- Indian outbound travel market has grown from 3.7 million in 1997 to 9.8 million international departures in 2007; the pace of growth has accelerated since 2004 at an average annual growth rate of over 16%. International tourism expenditure by Indians has grown from US$ 1.3 billion in 1997 to US$ 8.2 billion in 2007.
- The UNWTO predicts that India will account for 50 million outbound tourists by 2020; the ‘Kuoni Travel Report India 2007’ predicts that total outbound spending will cross the US$ 28 billion mark in 2020.
- With over 28 million passport holders in the country who are potential travellers, the source market for outbound travel is wide and complex because of its size and variety. According to the primary research among the travel trade, the main source regions are west and north (including central India) together accounting for about 65% of all outbound travel, followed by south (25%) and east (10%).
- According to Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), 40% of all outbound trips by Indians are for business purposes, while leisure, visiting friends and relatives (VFR) and other reasons each account for 20% of outbound trips from India.
- Europe commands an estimated market share of about 20% of all Indian outbound departures. The Indian travel trade estimates that the market for Europe is growing at a steady pace of 5-7% per annum and that the pace of growth for Europe can be accelerated with greater focus by European tourism boards on the Indian market.
- 40% of travel to Europe is estimated to be for holiday purposes. Five European destinations account for a majority of the share of travel from India to Europe – United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland.
- According to the travel trade, international leisure travellers belong to the 25-65 years age group, a larger proportion being males (65%) than females (35%). They are well educated and belong to the upper socio-economic strata of society. Majority are married (75%) and have children living in the household. Two-thirds of leisure travellers tend to holiday abroad with family.
- In the short-term, a large proportion of potential visitors to Europe are likely to be first-time visitors, although the majority will have travelled abroad at least once. Families and couples are likely to be the key customer segments travelling to Europe on holiday. Some travel from groups of friends and affinity group travellers can also be anticipated.
- The key travel motivation of potential first-time visitors to Europe is a culture/sightseeing holiday. The key travel motivations among repeat visitors are culture/sightseeing holiday, touring/driving holiday, snow/ski holiday and holiday in the mountains. Majority of the potential visitors are likely to undertake a multi-country vacation in Europe.
- In terms of travel destination selection, the top five factors that influence destination selection for Indians are safety and security; variety of things to see and do; overall image of holiday destination; good tourist facilities; and infrastructure; and the ease of obtaining visas. The travel trade confirms that travellers will often change their mind about a travel destination if obtaining visas is a complex or time-consuming process.
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