Nearly 100 Million Indian Travellers Went On Trips From Jan-March 2024

As new flight routes get added every month and a growing Indian middle class flexes its ambitions to travel domestically and internationally, a report has found that 97 million passengers travelled through Indian airports in the first three months of 2024.

The "Travel Trends 2024: Breaking Boundaries" survey by the Mastercard Economics Institute (MEI) found that domestic air passenger traffic surged 21 per cent above 2019 levels while international travel rose by 4 per cent.

According to the report, Indian tourists are increasingly exploring key travel markets, as demonstrated by a 53 per cent increase in visits to Japan, a 248 per cent growth in travel to Vietnam and a 59 per cent rise in visits to the United States as compared to 2019 and despite a stronger American dollar.

Amsterdam, Singapore, London, Frankfurt and Melbourne were the top five trending destinations from June to August 2024 according to an analysis of flight bookings.

"Consumers in the Asia Pacific region have an intense desire and willingness to travel and are becoming increasingly savvy to ensure they get the best value and unforgettable experiences from their trips. For tourism authorities, retailers, the hospitality, and [food and beverage] sectors, the bottom line is that costs matter," said David Mann, chief economist of the Asia Pacific region at Mastercard.

The MEI report also showed that travellers continue to prioritise experiences over material goods and that the same is playing out in the travel sector, where spending on experiences, especially nightlife, totalled 12 per cent of tourism sales, the highest point in at least five years.

(With inputs from PTI)