As Europe gains traction among India’s travel demand, destinations have a unique opportunity to better align their offerings with the needs and expectations of this diverse market, with outbound tourism poised for remarkable growth. Mabrian, the global travel intelligence platform, gather the latest insights on India in its new data intelligence report, “India Market Insights: Outbound & Inbound,” launched during the panel devoted to this country’s travel market surge at the Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council, held at World Travel Market London 2024.
This study is a comprehensive overview of the travel and tourist market in India, the world’s fifth largest economy. India’s rising middle class is projected to represent 60% by 2047 of the demographic pyramid, and its 1.4K-million population will play a key role in boosting travel and tourism’s contribution to the nation’s economy. This sector, which is currently growing at 6.5% annually, will grow faster than the economy as a whole.
“India’s travel market potential is impressive: by 2030, the outbound market could reach 100 million international trips—comparable to the entire annual visitor count of France—if only 2% of Indians travel plans are enjoyed in foreign destinations,” says Carlos Cendra, Partner and Director of Marketing and Communications at Mabrian.
Closing the cultural gap to enhance Indian travellers’ satisfaction
Mabrian’s travel intelligence suggests that Indian travellers are increasingly looking at destinations beyond their traditional hotspots in Southeast Asia, with Europe solidifying as a preferred option. Despite a drop in demand year-over-year, the United Kingdom, France and Italy remain top destinations. Italy and Germany showed growth rates of 2,7% and 7,3% respectively.
The data highlights several rising destinations in Europe for Indian travellers. Spain is the most popular destination with a 3.8% demand increase. Austria (+9.8%), Greece (+18.3%) and Spain are the countries that have seen the greatest growth in Indian arrivals over the past 12 month. Central Asia and the Caucasus also show strong three-digit growth from the Indian market, although demand remains niche.
Globally, one out of every three Indian travellers to Europe travels with a partner or family, indicating opportunities for tourism products tailored to couples, young families, or larger family groups.
“Indian travellers are motivated by cultural factors that blend various interests to create unique travel experiences. Outdoor activities and active tourism are essential aspects of their European travel plans,” adds Cendra. Indian travellers are also interested in wellness, a culture deeply rooted in India.
Indian demand for European Destinations is also seasonally beneficial, with travel peaks during shoulder seasons (March – July) and the winter (December – January), favouring an overall positive perception about climate conditions. However, to fully capitalize on the growing Indian market, European destinations must address certain concerns. This includes satisfaction levels and safety perceptions, which are important considerations for family friendly tourism.
“Our data suggests that products and services aimed at Indian travellers in Europe could be better adapted to their preferences, helping to align expectations with actual experiences,” explains Mabrian’s spokesperson.
European Demand for India: Moving to Experience-Led Itineraries
A key takeaway from this study is the potential to position India as an experience-led destination rather than solely offering circuits to visit famous landmarks. “The European markets we analysed—UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain—show consistent demand for cultural experiences and India’s unique heritage, though the mix preferred activities vary depending of their origin, and are connected to engaging experiences”, highlights Mabrian’s spokesperson.
Beyond cultural tourism, active well-being drivers (mix of outdoors, nature, active, and wellness) are popular among European visitors to India, with 40.8% of demand focused on these types of experiences. “India’s deep connection to wellness presents an opportunity to attract highly motivated travellers seeking authenticity and cultural connection,” says Cendra.
Additionally, European travellers who choose India tend to have distinctive travel characteristics: four out of ten visits with a partner, and 25% travel solo. More European women than men visit India (51.5% male vs 48.5% female), being the proportion of European female travellers 14-point higher than the global average of female travellers who choose India as destination.
As in the case of European destinations, India faces a key challenge in meeting European travellers’ expectations, as the perception of overall travel experiences among European visitors is below India’s global average of 89.6 out of 100 points; ranging from the highest scores from Italians (77), Germans (69,3), or British (67.3), to the lowest ones from Spain and France (63.3 and 62.6 points, respectively). “There is still room for improvement with regards to the satisfaction of travellers.” Targeted campaigns that address safety perceptions and cultural expectations would be beneficial,” notes Mabrian’s spokesperson.
“Good news is that European demand to India remains robust, with winter being the peak season,” points out Cendra.
As Mabrian intelligence shows, three European markets are among the top five source markets to India, and all of them rising in the last 12 months. The British market is the largest inbound market for India (+37,7%), followed by France (+28.8%) and Germany (+25.5%). Other European inbound markets such as Italy (+43.8%) and Spain (+11.5%) also show solid growth.
