The rapid return of the Indian traveler

Although it seems that all eyes are on China's return to international travel, another large market also heavily affected by the pandemic is already making its mark: India.

In fact, the Indian market has recovered rapidly since last year and is expected to reach pre-pandemic levels by 2024, according to Baidi Li, vice president of business for APAC at Go City®, the world's largest multi-attraction pass company. "By 2025, India is expected to reach 29 million outbound travellers, representing 6% of the country's urban population."

"The Indian traveler is traveling much more than a few years ago, before Covid," says Chitra Gurnari Daga, CEO and co-founder of Thrillophilia, an India-based online travel agency (OTA). And they're not just traveling more, they're traveling more at the destination, which is good news for tour, activity and attraction operators."

Li and Daga, who will intervene in June at Arival Activate | Bangkok 2023, share their point of view on the emerging Indian market and offer tips for tour operators, activities and experiences that host them.

Indian travelers spend more on experiences

As demand for travel increases in the Indian market, Daga has seen a significant difference in their booking habits: Indian travelers want to do more. They have more appetite to book experiences, activities and excursions on their vacations.

As Li points out, not even the pandemic has managed to dampen their curiosity: the number of attractions visited by Indian tourists has risen 40% since 2019.

So it should come as no surprise that Indian travelers are now opting for more frequent vacations. While the average pre-Covid Indian traveler took just one holiday a year, Daga shares that Thrillophilia is seeing people now book one or two long holidays a year and three to four short weekend breaks to a wide variety of of popular and emerging destinations across India and abroad.

In fact, Indian travelers not only enjoy more frequent vacations, but also spend more time in each destination. Li explains that visitors to London in 2019 opted for passes of three days on average -according to data from Go City®-. However, the duration of their passes has now been extended to an average of almost five days.

Indian millennial travelers, in particular, are opting for more group travel, and traveling far more abroad, Daga notes. "Five years ago, millennials didn't travel outside of India." Now even millennials with modest means are finding ways to book with cheap flights and hostels.

However, the size of the budget does not necessarily affect the number of experiences Indian travelers book: "When people have less money, they will choose a destination that is cheaper; when they have money, they will choose a destination that is slightly more expensive." , explains Daga, "but both travelers will do a lot of activities."

"Overall, trust remains a crucial factor in influencing the booking behavior of Indian travelers," Li adds. "Many are choosing to book through an OTA that they personally trust to ensure they receive the best value for money."

Understanding the Indian traveler: food, families, millennials

For tour, activity and experience providers who want to attract or are already seeing more Indian travelers, Daga offers some insights into understanding this emerging market.

Food is a priority

"I think the Indian traveler has a very important habit and that is food." Daga advises providers accommodating Indian travelers to learn about their dining preferences and make sure to offer them options so they can find the right place to eat. "The Indian traveler loves food, and the Indian traveler also likes his own Indian food when he leaves his country."

Families and older travelers focus on luxury

Families and older Indian travelers alike seek luxury. "When an Indian family travels with children (and often grandparents), comfort and luxury are what they are looking for," shares Daga. "Indian travelers over 45 are not very active, they don't want to do a lot of excursions."

Millennials: Party All Night, Activities All Day

In contrast to luxury-oriented family travelers, "the Indian Millennial wants to party all night, do all day—they want to do it all," shares Daga. Also, Indian millennials "are very internet aware, they will read a lot on the net, collect their knowledge and only then come and move on." Good reviews and clear trip descriptions are important factors in attracting Indian millennials, who prioritize researching online before booking.