Outbound travel up by 190%

India emerged as the leading source market for outbound travel last year, according to IPK International’s World Travel Monitor report presented by ITB Berlin. Despite the travel restrictions, the country registered slightly better travel volume than in 2019.

TT Bureau

There is a solid progression in the outbound trips by Indians. Asia benefited the most from this ascending trend, as it is gaining popularity to spend holidays in a foreign destination among Indians.

IPK’s World Travel Monitor recorded a 190 per cent year on year rise in Indian outbound travel in 2022. India is the largest source market in Asia, with around 10 million foreign trips. Thus, it was ranked fifth leaving behind China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. In a global context, in spite of India performing slightly below average (66 per cent of pre-pandemic levels), as compared to the other Asian markets, it performed well.

Favourite destinations for Indians

When it comes to favourite destinations for Indians, Dubai was ranked first, followed by the USA, Thailand, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. Overall, approximately 70 per cent of Indians visited Asia, which, if compared to the preceding year’s figures, boosted by more than 250 per cent. Thailand, Abu Dhabi and Dubai were India’s favoured destinations as stated by Destination Performance Index (DPI). Considering the same context, DPI took travel satisfaction, recommendation and the desire to revisit a destination into account for all Indian outbound travel around the world.

Travel trends to book for international trips

Over 90 per cent of the trips are booked in advance over the Internet via different booking sites or agencies. Travel agency bookings make up a large percentage. Their share is over 40 per cent, above the global average and did not reduce even during travel restrictions. Indians spent 235 euros per person, which covered all expenses. Even in 2019, there were barely any change and the expenses by Indians remained stable. Short trips covered 40 per cent of Indian outbound travel.

M!CE and holiday trips main drivers

The main driver of motivation for Indians was a holiday abroad in 2022. According to the report, Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (M!CE) and holiday trips have a share of 70 per cent and 64 per cent of the total market share respectively, followed by round trips, which account for around 30 per cent. City breaks have a share of 26 per cent, while business and other private trips have a 10 per cent contribution.

• Holiday trips registered – 64 per cent of the market share
• Business Trips and other private trips – 10 per cent
• Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) – 70 per cent
• Round Trips (sun, beach holidays) – 30 per cent
• City Breaks – 26 per cent

Both the round trips and city breaks significantly boosted than the previous year resulting in its contribution to the growth of India’s outbound travel.

Internationale Tourismus Börse (ITB) India will serve as a portal for travellers in India. The international players gain access to one of the leading and fastest-growing markets in Asia, India. The Indian edition of ITB has debuted from 26–28 April. It took place virtually for the last two years, and ITB India has celebrated its in-person debut.

As far as the trips to India are concerned, developments in 2022 were at 150 per cent, which resulted in India being the third most popular destination in Asia. The primary source market for India was the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates.

The Indian market has DPI (70), which is the highest in Asia. It shows travelling abroad is extremely enjoyed by Indians. With people’s eagerness to travel and discover, it will furthermore recover this year.