Wanderlust: 97m Indians travel by air during Jan-Mar

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More Indians are flying than ever before, be it international or domestic, claims a new report. Over 97 million passengers travelled through Indian airports in the first three months of 2024 alone. A survey “Travel Trends 2024: Breaking Boundaries”, conducted by the Mastercard Economics Institute (MEI), gives insights into the evolving landscape of the travel industry across 74 markets, including 13 in the Asia Pacific region (APAC).

The number of domestic air passenger surged 21 per cent above 2019 levels, while international travel rose by 4 per cent.

Indians are are increasingly exploring key markets, with a 53 per cent rise in visits to Japan, a 248 per cent jump to Vietnam, and a 59 per cent increase in visits to the United States, compared to 2019, despite a stronger US dollar, the report states.

Commenting on the growth in traffic, the report says just 10 years ago, the same figure would have taken a whole year to achieve.

Also, Amsterdam, followed by Singapore, London, Frankfurt, and Melbourne are the top five trending destinations that Indian travellers are visiting this summer (June – August 2024), as measured by the change in share of flight bookings in the report.

“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 F&B sectors, the bottom line is that costs matter,” said David Mann, chief economist, Asia Pacific, Mastercard, in a statement.

The report also pointed out how consumers globally continue to prioritise experiences over material goods and the same is playing out in the travel sector where spending on experiences, especially nightlife, totals “12 per cent of tourism sales” — the highest point in at least five years. Additionally, a burgeoning fine dining scene in India has translated to marginal outperformance of the fine dining category for in-destination tourism dining, it reported.