Asian Countries Top International Travel Destination for Indian Tourists

“We are seeing a significant increase in inquiries to international destinations such as Maldives, Thailand, UAE, UK, Australia and US. Nishant Pitti, co-founder of online travel company EasyMyTrip, said, “Dubai is at the forefront of the list with a significant increase in demand, especially for those looking to partake in short vacations.”

“We are also seeing a 30% increase in last-minute flight and travel bookings, and we expect this trend to pick up in the summer months, which will lead to a big jump in international bookings,” Pitti said.

India has allowed around 60 airlines from 40 countries to operate 1,783 weekly international flights from India during the 2022 summer schedule. Indian airlines have been allowed 1,466 weekly international departures during the summer schedule between March 27 and October 29.

IndieWire said, “Destinations in Western Europe such as Switzerland, France, Italy and Austria have registered more than 4X growth over the last year, while Dubai and Abu Dhabi have seen a 40-odd increase in demand compared to the same period last year. 50% growth is being seen.” Thomas Cook (India) and Rastogi, President and Group Head, Global Business Travel at SOTC, said the demand for travel to Turkey and Egypt grew by 40% and the US by 100%.

“Short-hall destinations, in particular, are currently seeing maximum uplift with Thailand up to 3X week on week, followed by Singapore and Indonesia; Also, island destinations like Maldives (30%) and Mauritius (35%) and the nearest home, Nepal,” Rastogi said.

While the resumption of scheduled international flights is a relief and will boost international travel, airline executives expect passenger demand from India to Europe and North America to remain affected in the short term due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.