Visa- free travel and solo travel to boost tourism figures

Women travellers in India took the lead in solo travel this summer, showcasing a 47% growth in bookings on Scapia, outpacing men by eight percentage points.

Scapia has observed a 65 per cent increase in average monthly flight bookings for visa-free countries this summer.

An unprecedented six countries share the top spot with visa-free access to a record-breaking number of destinations on the 2024 Henley Passport Index, which is based on exclusive and official data from International Air Transport Association (IATA). Four EU member states — France, Germany, Italy, and Spain — join Japan and Singapore in boasting the most powerful passports in the world, with their citizens able to visit an astonishing 194 destinations out of 227 around the globe visa-free. The two Asian nations have dominated the first place on the index (which ranks the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa) for the past five years.

The overarching narrative that links greater economic performance with visa-free access and openness to international trade, investment, and the exchange of skills is once again powerfully highlighted, underpinned, and backed by the research shown in this year’s report.”

The tourism market in India witnessed prominent trends that shaped the season. Scapia, a travel fintech, has unveiled new trends on Indians’ travel shenanigans this summer.

As per Scapia’s data, the summer of 2024 recorded a notable rise in travel bookings, with average monthly domestic and international bookings increasing by over 30% from February to May 2024 compared to January 2024. In the domestic circuit, destinations like Goa, Varanasi, Srinagar, Port Blair, and Leh were popular, while international travellers flocked to UAE, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka.

While Paris, London and San Francisco were also in the top 10 destinations of choice, Southeast Asian countries were the flavour of the summer.

Scapia observed that 35% of stays booked in the summer season (Feb-May '24) for international destinations were in Southeast Asian countries, including lesser-known destinations like Penida Island (Indonesia), Nonthaburi (Thailand), and Kowloon (Hong Kong).

Spur-of-the-moment plans and the desire for hassle-free travel resulted in a growth in the influx to visa-free countries. Scapia observed a 64% increase in average monthly flight bookings to visa-free countries this summer compared to January. Destinations like Qatar, Kazakhstan, and Kenya made it to the travellers’ list, in addition to Asian favourites like Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

In a significant development, Indian travellers have started embracing independence with solo journeys

Solo travel has gained popularity and is indicative of independent adventure.

Southeast Asia remains a top destination choice for solo travellers, with Thailand and Malaysia experiencing a notable 4X increase in popularity. Additionally, Nepal is gaining popularity among Scapia's solo travellers, experiencing a 3X increase in bookings.

Women travellers in India took the lead in solo travel this summer, showcasing a 47% growth in bookings on Scapia, outpacing men by eight percentage points, who saw a 39% rise in solo travel in Feb-May 2024 compared to January 2024. This trend is complemented by a rise in travel bookings to domestic hotspots like Goa and international favourites like Thailand.

Women’s greater engagement in solo travel reflects a positive shift in the Indian travel and tourism market. This shift can be attributed to advancements in technology that offer real-time travel support, improved security measures, and the abundance of travel information available online.

As of 2024, the airline industry can turn its back on the Covid-induced crisis. Total traffic matched and surpassed 2019 numbers this February.

Moreover, traffic between Asia and Europe remains affected by the war in Ukraine. Connectivity to Asia Pacific should be fully restored this year. The anticipated increase in total passenger numbers for 2024 is 10.4% year-on-year (YoY) or 11.6% in RPK. Africa is the only region likely to see a contraction in passenger numbers this year, although from an elevated base due to strong traffic in 2023.

The Middle East is forecast to have a more favourable economic environment in 2024, despite geopolitical tensions. Europe is expected to see solid growth in its passenger numbers, especially in smaller economies.

Over the next 20 years, we expect world passengers to increase by 3.8% per year on average, resulting in over four billion additional passenger journeys in 2043 compared to 2023.

European and North American markets will see a slower rise in demand, 2.3% and 2.7% per year, respectively.

Asia Pacific is anticipated to record the fastest rise in passenger numbers and contribute to more than half of the net increase in global passenger numbers by 2043.