Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs
Indian travelers are leaning towards more immersive and exclusive travel experiences, according to Sridhar Keppurengan, head of cross border payments for India and South Asia at payment services company Visa. “The growing demand for bespoke experiences is evident in a 250% year-on-year surge in luxury and duty-free purchases by Indian travellers between January and March 2024. This outpaced spending on food, accommodation, and transportation,” Keppurengan said.
A sentiment echoed by travel search aggregator Skyscanner in its Travel Trends 2025 report. The report predicted seven travel trends for Indian travelers for the coming year.
According to the report, experiences such as sports, astro adventures, wellness, immersive art, horticulture, and gaming are expected to drive travel next year, as Indians are increasingly looking to travel according to their lifestyle choices and personal tastes.
Year-End Travel Surge: Travel continues to surge in India even as the year comes to an end. According to Skyscanner, there has been a 32% increase in searches for domestic travel during the Christmas week this year as compared to last year. For international travel, this uptick is 29%.
Within India, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Goa continue to witness the highest booking volumes. Internationally, Indians are looking at London, Dubai, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Toronto.
Skift had earlier reported that online travel platform Booking.com noted a 40–100% increase in searches for domestic trips compared to last year. Hill stations like Manali, Munnar, Ooty, and Mahabaleshwar, are in high demand during this period, according to Booking.com and online travel agency MakeMyTrip.
Meanwhile, Agoda reported a 53% jump in international accommodation searches compared to last year, with all platforms noting that while traditional destinations continue to thrive, Indians are also exploring new places such as Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Accor has announced a partnership with Dangayach Group to develop two luxury hotels in the coastal state of Goa. One property will be under the Raffles Hotels & Resorts brand and the other under Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, it announced. Raffles Goa Shiroda will have 120 villas and it will have a joint beachfront club with Fairmont Goa Shiroda.
Both the properties are expected to open by 2030. Both the properties will also have infrastructure to support weddings, a segment that significantly boosts the revenue of Fairmont Jaipur and Raffles Udaipur at present.
India’s Outbound Travel to Reach 39 Million by 2028
India’s outbound passengers are expected to reach the 39-million mark by 2028, according to global travel technology company Travelport. This translates to an annual growth of 8% every year from 2023.
Talking about the growing importance of India in the global travel economy, Travelport said, expanding airline capacity, changing customer preferences, and technology are helping to drive this surge.
Travelport’s global managing director Mark Meehan said, “In 2023, India saw 2.6 billion domestic trips, generating around $105 billion in travel spend. Outbound travel exceeded pre-Covid levels.” Meehan said that the share of Indian airlines in international traffic has increased from 35% before the pandemic to 46% now.
Luxury Train Golden Chariot Relaunched
Luxury Indian train Golden Chariot has been relaunched by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the Indian tourism ministry, as well as the tourism department of the state of Karnataka.
Introduced in 2008, the 18-coach chariot was discontinued in 2018 due to high running costs and low number of passengers. However, the train has now been relaunched after six years as premium travel is increasingly becoming a norm among Indian travelers.
The train comes with 44 cabins with en-suite bathrooms and aims to offer a premium stay to travelers as a luxury hotel on wheels. It is equipped with WiFi, two gourmet restaurants, a lounge bar, spa, fitness center, and business facilities. The Golden Chariot offers four luxury tour packages, starting at INR 570,780 ($6,700) for a three-day, four-night journey for two adults, and going up to INR 856,170 ($10,050) for an extended five-night, six-day experience for two.
A New Terminal for Kolkata Airport
The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata is expected to undergo a transformation as civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said he plans to make the airport a hub for international flights.
Flights to 100 destinations would soon operate daily from Kolkata, Naidu said. At present, the airport handles traffic to 64 destinations, including 15 international and 49 domestic locations. The government also plans to boost Kolkata airport’s annual passenger capacity from 26 million to 45 million. For this, a new terminal is expected to be completed by November next year.
Zoomcar Launches Cab Service
Car rental platform Zoomcar has launched Zoomcar Cabs as a pilot project in Bengaluru. So far, the platform allowed users to hire self-drive cars, but has now expanded it to include a cab service. Zoomcar said it plans to launch this service in other cities next year.
With Zoomcar Cabs, customers would be able to book a car from two hours to over 30 days. The rental fee would cover driver allowances, fuel, and a fixed kilometer limit, the company said in a release.
The cab service would also allow users to select specific car models, including hatchbacks, sedans, and SUVs, rather than just choosing a category — a departure from the typical offerings in the market.
(The India Report will not be published till January 2, 2025, on account of year-end festivities. The next India Report will now be available on January 7, 2025.)
