India’s Efforts to Boost Adventure Tourism — India Report

The Indian government is exploring adventure tourism as an avenue of promoting destinations across the country. For instance, earlier this month, the newly appointed minister of tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat went skydiving in Haryana on World Skydiving Day. 

It may or may not have been effective in promoting the sport in India, but he took the opportunity to share that the government was focusing on developing Goa and Madhya Pradesh as skydiving hubs. 

This week, in the Indian Parliament, Shekhawat said that the government is promoting adventure tourism as part of its efforts to promote Indian destinations and has also formulated National Strategies for Adventure Tourism. 

Adventure Tourism in India: While still a lesser explored avenue, adventure tourism in India is gaining significance. 

• Adventures in Sky: Bangalore and Himachal Pradesh offer skydiving to enthusiasts. 
• Adventures on Land: Mountaineering, skiing, rock climbing, bungee jumping, and caving are among the developed adventure tourism activities across the country. 
• Water Adventures: India has a strong inland water system and a long coast line, allowing for river rafting, canoeing, kayaking, scuba diving, surfing, and river cruises. 

The government is also focusing on Ladakh as an adventure tourism destination, with activities such as mountain biking, trekking, river rafting, ice trekking, bactrian camel ride, mountain climbing, and camping. 

Funding to Develop Tourism Circuits: India is developing tourism circuits in Northeast India and Jammu and Kashmir, and is including adventure tourism destinations such as Tawang, Ladakh, Darjeeling, and Sikkim in these circuits. 

Between 2014 and 2019, the government of India allocated a cumulative amount of INR 8.16 billion ($97.5 million) for development of tourism circuits in Northeast India, of which INR 7.83 billion ($93.5 million) has been released. 

For the development of tourism circuits in Jammu and Kashmir, INR 5.88 billion ($70.2 million) were sanctioned by the government. An amount of INR 5.18 billion ($61.9 million) has been released out of this allocation. 

Indian Budget Focuses on Bihar, Odisha Tourism

The government of India announced the full Budget for the 2024-25 financial year on Tuesday. While the hopes of travel executives were not met, the government announced its plans to establish a Vishnupad Temple at Gaya, and Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar to boost spiritual tourism. 

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman also said that a comprehensive development initiative will be taken to develop Rajgir — a key religious destination in the state of Bihar. 

The government is also focusing on developing Odisha as a major tourist destination by developing and promoting its temples, monuments, wildlife sanctuaries, natural landscapes, and beaches. 

Youngsters Form 80% of Airbnb Bookings by Indians in Thailand

Data from Airbnb showed that bookings in Thailand from Indian guests increased by 60%, with the surge largely driven by young travelers: Gen Z and Millennials account for 80% of the Airbnb bookings by Indian guests. 

India is among the largest source markets for Thailand, and the Southeast Asian nation is hoping to attract 1.7 million Indian visitors this year. Through May this year, over 842,000 Indians visited Thailand, making India the fourth-largest source market so far. This figure marks an increase of over 39% over the same period last year. 

Airbnb data showed that during the Holi and Easter long weekends this year in March, searches for stays in Thailand increased by more than 200% among Indian travelers. 

Thailand has made entry visa-free for Indians till November this year and is also evaluating if this facility could be permanently extended to Indian travelers. 

Air India to Deploy A350 Jet on New York, Newark Routes

Former national carrier Air India is set to deploy its flagship A350-900 aircraft on the Delhi-New York JFK and Delhi-Newark routes. While the A350 jet would begin flying on the Delhi-New York sector starting November 1, the aircraft will operate on the Delhi-Newark route from January 2 next year. 

The aircraft’s deployment would also mark the introduction of the airline’s Premium Economy cabin class on these routes, Air India said in a statement. Apart from this, the aircraft would also have Business and Economy cabin classes. The airline already operates the three-class configuration on the flights between India and San Francisco. 

MakeMyTrip and The Rising Middle Class

India’s rising middle class and higher disposable income have boosted spending on discretionary services, while the growing lower middle class has bolstered domestic travel, said Rajesh Magow, group CEO of MakeMyTrip, during an earnings call on Tuesday.

Magow highlighted the impact of younger generations driving a cultural shift towards more frequent breaks. He also noted a positive long-term outlook for outbound travel from India with fast-growing pools of first-time tourists, particularly to emerging destinations like Turkey and Kazakhstan, which have seen significant increases in Indian tourists.

MakeMyTrip reported its highest-ever quarterly gross bookings, revenue, and adjusted operating profit, with gross booking value exceeding $2.4 billion, a 22% year-on-year growth in the first quarter of fiscal 2025. Adjusted operating profit grew by 30% year-on-year to $39 million for the period ending June 30, 2024.

“We delivered these strong numbers despite the late pickup of the season for leisure travel due to general elections in April,” said Magow.

Port Blair Sea Port Now Open to E-Visa Holders

The Port Blair Sea Port in the Andaman Islands is now an official entry point for Indian e-visa holders. This development would allow travelers holding an e-visa to enter India by yacht, superyacht, or cruise through Port Blair. 

Until now, only holders of regular visas issued by the Indian Embassy of their own countries could visit Port Blair Sea Port through yachts or cruises. This led to many visitors skipping visiting the Andamans. 

The move is expected to boost tourism in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. According to data shared by the tourism department of the Union Territory, through April this year, over 175,000 tourists visited the group of islands. However, of these, only about 5,500 were international tourists.