The Group Chairman of Sky One adds that schemes like RCS-UDAN can help open up new and unexplored destinations
Travel to foreign destinations and luxurious leisure tours are no longer unlived dreams that have to be put on hold indefinitely. For Gen Z, exotic holidays are not distant goals but experiences they want to enjoy here and now. Every year, social media and travel influencers discover aspirational locations, which then end up attracting a massive influx of tourists. Various studies also indicate that social media actively shapes travel experiences and trends. A Statista report by Thomas Hinton mentioned that Instagrammable locations are an important deciding factor for many travellers when choosing their next holiday destination.
In India, this trend remains strong, propelling international and domestic tourism growth. Experts presented exciting trends in this year’s famous ITB Berlin Travel and Trade Show. They said that India significantly impacts the global travel business, both as a rapidly growing foreign market and an up-and-coming hotspot for international visitors. They predict that outbound trips are expected to increase fivefold by 2040. According to aviation experts, these statistics offer huge scope to the airlines to become a major growth driver of India’s global tourism sector.
“For foreign tourists, air travel is the most preferred mode of transportation, while only a small percentage prefers sea routes. As per the Ministry of Tourism, most of the international tourists arrived at the Delhi and Mumbai airports. Outbound tourism in India also remains strong, with most travellers preferring destinations like Dubai, Singapore, Thailand, Bali, the Maldives, and Vietnam, as well as newer entrants like Georgia and Serbia. With most of them planning the trip by air, there is immense scope for airlines to expand their operations and networks,” says Jaideep Mirchandani, Group Chairman of Sky One.
He says the tourism sector is also having a more profound impact on the domestic sector. “We have seen schemes like RCS-UDAN from the government, which offer last-mile connectivity to tier-II and tier-III cities, contributing to the growth of the tourism sector. The new airports under it also offer domestic players opportunities to extend services to newer locations, especially in the Northeast region, while there is also scope for launching helicopter services in hilly areas to stimulate tourism,” adds Mr Mirchandani.
Another area that he feels is the growth of the religious tourism segment, which has made destinations like Khajuraho, Deoghar, Amritsar, and Kishangarh (Ajmer) more accessible, opening up opportunities for domestic airlines.
