Indian tourism industry showing signs of recovery

The tourism scenario in India is taking a drastic shift with each day post pandemic due to the constant changing circumstances. The pandemic has brought down the travel and tourism sectors to a total halt. In 2020, approximately 6.33 million international tourists and non-resident Indians arrived in India, down from about 18 million in 2019.

The share of international tourist arrivals into India relative to South Asia was (YY- per cent) 2019-69.11 per cent, 2020-67.2 per cent, 2021-45.86 per cent, 2022-56.63 per cent and for the coming years the share is expected to be 2023-61.09 per cent, 2024-65.61 per cent, thus slowly achieving the levels as to where it was before pandemic.

However, with the opening of air services and borders, India needs to plan and execute aggressive marketing and promotional campaigns to boost the tourism arrivals.

"Situations have changed now, and nothing is as clear as the pre-pandemic scenario. We must start looking on things with a different angle, share as much as perspectives as we can," Liz Ortiguera, CEO, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) said during a webinar organized by PATA India chapter.

As travel restrictions continue to ease, international travellers are increasingly looking to visit India, according to newly released Airbnb data travellers are also eager to stay longer and explore more places than ever before as part of a travel revolution that's creating more economic opportunities for the locals.

Since the country eased all travel restrictions, there has been an incredible amount of enthusiasm among international travellers looking to travel to India. Searches by international guests for Airbnb stays in India grew by more than 60 per cent year-over-year from Q1 2021 to Q1 20221, suggesting that the travel industry is once again spurring economic recovery for the country. India is also uniquely positioned to take advantage of the live anywhere remote-work trend and the rise of the digital nomads, as long-term stays on Airbnb emerges as a popular choice for guests. An Airbnb survey conducted by YouGov showed that 87 per cent of Indians are planning to work while travelling or living elsewhere.

Airbnb data also revealed that revenge travel is in full swing with guests choosing to enjoy city life as well as explore the hills and the beaches. Metro cities like New Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai emerged as the most popular destinations in India among both international and domestic guests. Travellers are also exploring popular beach destinations of Goa, Kerala and Pondicherry as well as the hill stations of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, which translates to an incredible opportunity for those considering hosting in these popular tourist destinations that had seen a dip in footfall during the pandemic. International travellers from Canada, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia are leading the search for travel to India.

Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnb's General Manager for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan said: "It is heartening to see that Airbnb guests from around the world are looking to revisit India - as well as explore it for the first time - which bodes well for the sector's ongoing recovery and for our local community of hosts. The blurring lines between travel and living has also led to many travellers continuing to embrace their newfound flexibility. Travellers are also using our categories and I'm flexible tools to seek inspiration and discover off-the-beaten path destinations looking to develop new tourism economies."

"The uptick in preference for the metro cities as well as popular tourist destinations indicates the return of travel with workations and vacations, both on the rise. We remain committed to working with local Hosts across the country, as well as the Indian Government, to help ensure local communities can take advantage of the travel revolution," he added.

The platform upgrades and innovations that Airbnb unveiled over the past year have made it easier than ever for locals across India to become hosts and share in the benefits of this tourism dispersal. Additionally, new search tools such as I'm flexible, which has been used more than two billion times since May 2021, as well as the new categories and split stays features, are also encouraging guests to explore new destinations - which further spread the benefits of tourism and put money back into local pockets.