Skift India Report

For Indian travelers, long weekends aren't about whether to travel anymore, it's about where to go next. The decision to travel is a given.

Accor and IndiGo are keen to cash in on India’s travel boom, teaming up to woo deal-savvy travelers who are waking up to the power of loyalty perks.

With Indians traveling outbound increasingly, long-haul destinations are trying to capitalize on this growing market segment. Tourism Australia is hopeful that its online visa process will make it a preferred destination, coupled with growing air connectivity and strong bilateral ties.

India’s journey from an agent-driven travel ecosystem to a digital-first industry has been significant, and it continues to evolve.

Booking.com is looking at India for its growing outbound potential and spending power, even as it adapts to the last-minute booking behavior of these travelers.

Indian travelers are looking at social media for inspiration and technology for personalization as promotion channels shift. However, this means that industry players need to up their game to remain relevant.

India's inbound faces several struggles, some of which include the perception of lack of women safety and health hazard due to air pollution. Ground-level implementation of solutions to these problems is the first step to attract international tourists.

As India's outbound tourism increases, Singapore is looking to increase its share. However, it has now trained its eyes on high-yield travelers as well with its new focused partnership.

As Ibis India is on its way to meet its initial pipeline target, it is reluctant to move away from its micro markets-focused strategy. The fact that it does not require large land parcels for hotels lends further edge for expansion in land-strapped metros and Tier-1 markets.

As India's inbound tourism struggles, the government is working to develop global tourist-ready destinations. But nobody seems to be focusing on marketing these locations.