Gary Bowerman, director of Check In Asia and co-host of the travel podcast Southeast Asia Travel Show, said: “Southeast Asia is seeing more direct flights to and from India to meet growing travel demand. More and more destinations are introducing it.” “By 2030, India will be the fastest growing inbound market by percentage among many Southeast Asian countries.”
Indian tourists from New Delhi arrive at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport. India’s international travel could rise from 13 million in 2022 to more than 80 million by 2040, according to a November report by McKinsey. Photo: EPA-EFE In 2019, before the coronavirus outbreak, the number of tourists arriving from India to the 10 ASEAN countries was about 5.3 million, but before the pandemic in 2019, the number of tourists from China was 32.2 million. Obviously India has a lot of catching up to do.
Rising income levels across India, expected to be the fastest growing major economy, are outpacing travel demand, and tourism across the region continues to decline even as Western tourists cut back on their budgets. Incomes are becoming more resilient.
According to a McKinsey report released in November, India’s international travel could rise from 13 million in 2022 to more than 80 million by 2040, and the country’s population will surpass China’s to reach 1.4 billion. He pointed out that it has reached people.
“Furthermore, consumption of goods and services, including leisure and recreation, is expected to double by 2030. Combined with a strong recovery in travel post-pandemic and rising demand for international travel, these factors will shows great potential in outbound tourism,” the report said.
It added that for 70% of Indian travelers, proximity to a destination is an important factor in choosing a destination, and they prefer places that can be reached within four hours.
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Thailand rolls out red carpet for Chinese tourists with visa-free system
Thailand rolls out red carpet for Chinese tourists with visa-free system
india’s promise
Airlines across Southeast Asia, which have struggled to increase capacity since the pandemic due to disrupted aircraft supply chains and crew shortages, are now looking to tap into India’s potential demand, experts said. He is said to be enthusiastic.
Edward Clayton, a partner at PwC Malaysia, said in a webinar with OAG Aviation, a global information and analytics provider, that several countries in Southeast Asia have “significantly increased flights and destinations in India”, resulting in domestic flights. of transport capacity has been repurposed.
“The airlines saw that. [India] “It’s clear that we’re going to continue to have a very attractive market, and that’s very visible,” he said.
International tourist arrivals to major Southeast Asian destinations have yet to fully recover, with slower-than-expected growth from China.
Tourists take pictures in front of Singapore’s iconic Merlion. At Changi Airport, the number of arrivals in the first 10 months of this year was 48 million, compared to 56.2 million in the same period in 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE The number of arrivals at Singapore’s Changi Airport this year was 48 million in the first 10 months of the year. During the same period in 2019, that number rose to 56.2 million, Bowerman said. “So there are still gaps to fill,” he says.
In 2019, Chinese travelers took 155 million trips abroad and spent nearly US$255 million, accounting for about 14% of global tourism spending.
Bertrand Saiet, managing director of travel management firm FCM Travel Asia, said airline capacity in Southeast Asia is currently at 77% of pre-COVID-19 levels, and said that airlines in Southeast Asia currently have only 77% of pre-COVID-19 levels. It added that data suggests an additional six to nine flights are expected in 2019. The capacity for the next 12 months is cents.
Hotel occupancy rates across Asia, excluding China and Malaysia, remained below 2019 levels in December, but higher than last year. “Among Asia, India performed well for both corporate travel and meetings and events,” he said.
Southeast Asia’s tourism sector will struggle as China recovers slowly
Despite the economic challenges faced by consumers, such as rising costs of living and fuel prices, overall demand for air travel is resilient, Sayet said.
“The number of arrivals in 2024 will be [in Southeast Asia] It will probably reach 2019 levels or almost 2019 levels,” said Wolfgang Georg Alt, CEO of the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute.
“Although Chinese people are starting to travel again, the number of social climbers in Chinese society who are able to travel to Southeast Asia for the first time will be lower than before the pandemic,” he said.
People will also splurge less than they used to, and “getting bang for your buck will become a new source of pride,” Alt says. “That’s a good idea [for Southeast Asia] Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. On the other hand, China will continue to be the most important market. ”
Tourists visit the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. For 70% of Indian travelers, proximity to a destination is an important factor when choosing a destination, and they prefer places that are within 4 hours of travel. Photo: AFP
Indian travel industry executives are optimistic that travel from the country will further increase.
“Given the extraordinary backlog of visas, [for Indians] “For the United States and Europe, Europe’s loss is Asia’s gain,” said Rajeev Kohli, chairman of Euromic, a nonprofit marketing association of the world’s largest destination management companies. “Second, the cost of air travel to the West is unusually high compared to Asia.”
He said fares from India to Europe are 40 to 60 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels, but fares to Asia have not increased significantly.
“Southeast Asian countries have made concerted efforts to attract Indians,” Kohli said. However, it is a mistake to think that Indian tourists will replace Chinese tourists, he added.
“we, [market] Gap, we are not replacing the Chinese. “These countries will benefit twice as much once Chinese people start traveling again,” he said.
