What’s Holding Back Tourism to India – and How to Fix It


Regardless of India’s wealthy cultural heritage and booming home and outbound journey, inbound tourism stays caught.

Our newest Skift Analysis report: Learn how to Develop Inbound Tourism in India: Unlocking Lengthy-Haul Alternatives dives into the important thing limitations, traveler perceptions, and methods for reversing the pattern.

In a current survey, Skift Analysis requested vacationers from the U.S. and UK – two key potential supply markets – for his or her views on India.

Of those that do not journey to India, 63% mentioned India is “not a precedence vacation spot.”

Some points they cited: Security (30%), value (26%), and infrastructure issues (25%). The largest problem is notion and advertising. Not like locations with robust international branding — like Japan or Thailand — India is lacking a cohesive messaging technique that drives top-of-mind consciousness amongst high-value vacationers.

The Energy of Cultural & Culinary Tourism

Cultural and culinary tourism are India’s greatest inbound income drivers, with 59% of vacationers prioritizing cultural heritage and 56% drawn by Indian delicacies. The information present that experiences like visiting UNESCO websites, road meals excursions, and immersive cultural performances drive robust traveler curiosity.

Nevertheless, India lags in structured experiences and advertising these segments successfully. Vacation spot storytelling and higher itinerary curation can unlock important spending potential.

Who Are India’s Highest-Spending Vacationers?

Our evaluation of per-trip spending by journey section reveals a key perception: Luxurious vacationers spend probably the most per individual ($4,041), however cultural and culinary vacationers convey within the highest total income. It’s because cultural tourism attracts a bigger quantity of vacationers (59%), making it the largest financial contributor.

Equally, wellness and journey journey present robust per-trip spending however stay area of interest markets. To maximise progress, India should stability methods for high-spend and high-volume traveler segments.

India has all of the components to grow to be a long-haul tourism powerhouse — however unlocking its full potential requires coordinated motion.