Indian tourists among world's highest spenders abroad: data
The number of Indian visitors travelling to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations over the coming five years will create an extra 10.8 million room nights, as Indians are among the world's highest spenders per visit made abroad, according to new data.
The latest research published by Colliers International, ahead of Arabian Travel Market 2019 (ATM), predicts around nine million Indians will travel to the GCC states by 2022 37 per cent of India's total outbound market with business, place of work and leisure underpinning this demand.
Indian outbound tourists will account for 22.5 million worldwide tourists in 2018, with reports from the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) estimating this figure will increase by 122 per cent to reach over 50 million by 2022.
The ATM is scheduled to take place here from April 28 -May 1, 2019. Adding to this, Indian tourists are among the world's highest spenders per visit made abroad, with visitor spend expected to increase from USD 23 billion in 2018 to USD 45 billion by 2022.
Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director, Arabian Travel Market, said, "Despite recent weak rupee exchange rates, which have seen the rupee lose around 14 per cent of its value against the US dollar over the last 12 months, the Indian outbound market has continued to grow at an average annual growth rate of 10-12 per cent over the last seven years".
She said "The GCC has benefited from this trend with Indian travellers' willingness and ability to spend on outbound travel supported by the country's pace-setting seven per cent GDP growth and a new generation of leisure attractions in the GCC as well as increased business opportunities and relaxed visa regulations for Indian nationals. We are witnessing this growth first hand with Indian visitors to ATM increasing 27 per cent year-on-year between 2017 and 2018".
In 2017, the UAE welcomed 2.3 million Indian tourists, accounting for 13 per cent of its total annual visitors, with this figure expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of seven per cent by 2022.
India retained top spot on Dubai's list of source markets for inbound tourism, with over a million Indian tourists arriving in the emirate during the first half of 2018, registering a three per cent rise over the same period in 2017.
Relaxed visa restrictions and the introduction of a free two-day transit visa have contributed to this growth. "The influx of Indian visitors to the GCC shows no sign of abating, with every reason to believe India will maintain its position as a top source market, moving forward. Supporting this demand, in the UAE alone, there are currently 1,065 weekly flights to India corresponding to 130,000 seats per week. Meanwhile, ongoing bilateral talks are continuing to take place to increase airline frequency between India and all GCC countries," Curtis said.
The Colliers research suggests India will rank as the world's youngest country demographically, with 65 per cent of the total population categorized as Gen X or Gen Y by 2025.
"A rapidly growing younger population combined with a burgeoning middle class currently representing 350 million of India's total population who have an increasing amount of disposable income, provide strong indications that the country will continue to see a steep rise in the number of nationals travelling abroad over the coming years," Curtis added.
Indian tourists among world's highest spenders abroad: data
The number of Indian visitors travelling to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations over the coming five years will create an extra 10.8 million room nights, as Indians are among the world's highest spenders per visit made abroad, according to new data.
The latest research published by Colliers International, ahead of Arabian Travel Market 2019 (ATM), predicts around nine million Indians will travel to the GCC states by 2022 37 per cent of India's total outbound market with business, place of work and leisure underpinning this demand.
Indian outbound tourists will account for 22.5 million worldwide tourists in 2018, with reports from the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) estimating this figure will increase by 122 per cent to reach over 50 million by 2022.
The ATM is scheduled to take place here from April 28 -May 1, 2019. Adding to this, Indian tourists are among the world's highest spenders per visit made abroad, with visitor spend expected to increase from USD 23 billion in 2018 to USD 45 billion by 2022.
Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director, Arabian Travel Market, said, "Despite recent weak rupee exchange rates, which have seen the rupee lose around 14 per cent of its value against the US dollar over the last 12 months, the Indian outbound market has continued to grow at an average annual growth rate of 10-12 per cent over the last seven years".
She said "The GCC has benefited from this trend with Indian travellers' willingness and ability to spend on outbound travel supported by the country's pace-setting seven per cent GDP growth and a new generation of leisure attractions in the GCC as well as increased business opportunities and relaxed visa regulations for Indian nationals. We are witnessing this growth first hand with Indian visitors to ATM increasing 27 per cent year-on-year between 2017 and 2018".
In 2017, the UAE welcomed 2.3 million Indian tourists, accounting for 13 per cent of its total annual visitors, with this figure expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of seven per cent by 2022.
India retained top spot on Dubai's list of source markets for inbound tourism, with over a million Indian tourists arriving in the emirate during the first half of 2018, registering a three per cent rise over the same period in 2017.
Relaxed visa restrictions and the introduction of a free two-day transit visa have contributed to this growth. "The influx of Indian visitors to the GCC shows no sign of abating, with every reason to believe India will maintain its position as a top source market, moving forward. Supporting this demand, in the UAE alone, there are currently 1,065 weekly flights to India corresponding to 130,000 seats per week. Meanwhile, ongoing bilateral talks are continuing to take place to increase airline frequency between India and all GCC countries," Curtis said.
The Colliers research suggests India will rank as the world's youngest country demographically, with 65 per cent of the total population categorized as Gen X or Gen Y by 2025.
"A rapidly growing younger population combined with a burgeoning middle class currently representing 350 million of India's total population who have an increasing amount of disposable income, provide strong indications that the country will continue to see a steep rise in the number of nationals travelling abroad over the coming years," Curtis added.
Indian tourists among world's highest spenders abroad: data
Demand for e-visa surges four-fold as India relaxes restrictions
Popularity of e-visas reached new heights with foreigners and NRIs travelling to India quadrupled to 18.78 lakh this year from 4.47 lakh in 2015, ever since it was first introduced in 2010.
The e-visa facility of India now covers 166 countries of the world. Visitors can now enjoy this facility at 26 airports and five seaports. Photo courtesy: BhavyaRW, Twitter
The number of foreigners who visited India on e-visa has gone up from 4.47 lakh in 2015 to 17.00 lakh in 2017. The figure for 2018 is 18.78 lakh upto October 30, 2018, according to latest figures released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) here.
The Electronic Visa (or e-visa) facility of India now covers practically all the countries of the world. Foreign nationals of 166 countries can now enjoy this facility at 26 airports and five seaports.
The foreigner does not have to interact with any Indian official till his arrival at the immigration counter. The Bureau of Immigration(BoI) generally decides within 24-48 hours whether or not to grant an e-visa to a foreigner.
"India has a robust visa regime to facilitate smooth entry, stay and movement of foreigners in India for legitimate purposes while ensuring the security of the country. During the last one year, the MHA has taken a series of steps to liberalize the visa process in India. There has been Liberalisation of visa regime of India during the last one year and the popularity of e-visa is skyrocketing," the ministry said.
Apparently, for this reason, the condition of biometric enrollment for tourists arriving at the ports of Mumbai, Cochin, Mormugao, Chennai and New Mangalore has also been suspended till December, 2020 to ensure faster immigration clearance so that cruise tourists can spend maximum time on shore.
India has signed visa waivers with many countries to promote inbound tourism, investment. Photo courtesy: Press Information Bureau
Though surge in demand has somewhat slowed down the process and there are occasional complaints of not receiving the e-visa even after passing of 72 hours. Applicants also do complain bugs on the e-visa portal.
The Indian government has also allowed conversion of any category of visa of a foreign national who is married to an Indian citizen, Person of Indian Origin, OCI Cardholder into an Entry Visa at any point of time by the FRRO himself.
Other new changes are in facilities such as extension of employment and business visas for a period up to ten years within India as against five years at present; extension of visa of foreigners who are staying in India upto 15 years continuously and for five years at a time; permitting a foreign national who is already in India on Long Term Visa to attend international conferences/seminars/workshops without any specific permission from the FRRO (Foreigner Regional Registration Office) concerned have also been extended.
FRROs have been delegated power for various visa related services like Visa extension. Visa conversion, registration, exit permission, etc. These measures will help in expediting clearances for various visa related services to foreigners and cut their waiting time.
Indian government has introduced two new categories of e-visa that is e-Conference and e-Medical Attendant visa recently. E-visa is now available for five categories: Tourist, Business, Medical, Conference, and medical attendant.
Minister of Culture Mahesh Sharma at the launch of free pre-loaded SIM Cards for tourists arriving in India on e-visa in New Delhi. Photo courtesy: Indian Ministry of Culture
The local FRRO has been empowered now to extend the duration of electronic visas beyond 60 days up to 90 days. Moreover, these e-visas can now be availed three times in one year against twice a year earlier.
For foreigners who are already in India and who require any consular or visa services like an extension of visa, conversion of visa, exit permission or any of the total 27 visa-related services, an online e-FRRO facility has now been launched throughout the country.
The foreigners do not have to physically visit the offices of FRROs. They can apply as well as receive consular and visa services online after making online payment.
To promote cruise tourism immigration facilities have been provided at five major seaports where e-Landing Permits are granted to passengers for their onshore site-seeing.
Foreign nationals who fall sick during their stay in India can now avail medical treatment without converting their visa into Medical Visa. This would take care of sudden medical emergencies.
Foreigners require Restricted Area Permit or Protected Area Permit besides a proper visa to visit areas which have been declared as "Restricted" or "Protected" areas. In many cases such permits are granted only after a Prior Reference is made by the concerned State government to the MHA. This takes time and creates another entry barrier for a foreigner. The MHA has now rationalized issuance of such permits.
Prior Clearance of the MHA for grant of Protected Area Permit (PAP) and Restricted Area Permit (RAP) to foreigners in the following three major areas has been dispensed with :
Earlier, foreigners visiting Andaman & Nicobar Islands required a visa as well as a RAP. With a view to promote the flow of tourism and investment, 30 islands of Andaman & Nicobar have been excluded from the RAP regime notified under the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963.
Earlier foreigners visiting Andaman & Nicobar Islands required a visa as well as an RAP. Now 30 islands of the archipelago have been excluded from the RAP regime. Photo courtesy: TourTravista, Twitter
Foreigners will also be allowed to visit 11 uninhabited islands, to be notified by Andaman & Nicobar Islands Admn., only for day trips without any RAP. Requirement of registration by foreigners visiting these islands has also been dispensed with.
Provisions relating to grant of intern visa have been liberalized with a view to attract more foreigners for internship in India which will be beneficial to Indian organizations. Intern Visa is now available at any time during the course of study.
Further, minimum remuneration requirement for grant of intern visa for internship in a company has been reduced from INR7.80 lakh to INR3.60 lakh per annum.
With a view to enhance transparency and speed in processing of grant of event clearance for international conferences, seminars, workshops, an e-Event Clearance Module has been rolled out in April, 2018. Faster conference clearance would result into faster visa issuance for the foreigners intending to attend such conference.
Rapid growth in arrival of foreigners with e-visa; 137 million dollars collected as fees till October this year
The top five countries whose nationals availed e-visa services in 2018 (till October 31,) are: United Kingdom -292,143, the United States 221,339, China 127,022, France 107,185, Germany 89,863.
Popularity of e-visas reached new heights with foreigners and NRIs travelling to India quadrupled to 18.78 lakh this year from 4.47 lakh in 2015, ever since it was first introduced in 2010.
The e-visa facility of India now covers 166 countries of the world. Visitors can now enjoy this facility at 26 airports and five seaports. Photo courtesy: BhavyaRW, Twitter
The number of foreigners who visited India on e-visa has gone up from 4.47 lakh in 2015 to 17.00 lakh in 2017. The figure for 2018 is 18.78 lakh upto October 30, 2018, according to latest figures released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) here.
The Electronic Visa (or e-visa) facility of India now covers practically all the countries of the world. Foreign nationals of 166 countries can now enjoy this facility at 26 airports and five seaports.
The foreigner does not have to interact with any Indian official till his arrival at the immigration counter. The Bureau of Immigration(BoI) generally decides within 24-48 hours whether or not to grant an e-visa to a foreigner.
"India has a robust visa regime to facilitate smooth entry, stay and movement of foreigners in India for legitimate purposes while ensuring the security of the country. During the last one year, the MHA has taken a series of steps to liberalize the visa process in India. There has been Liberalisation of visa regime of India during the last one year and the popularity of e-visa is skyrocketing," the ministry said.
Apparently, for this reason, the condition of biometric enrollment for tourists arriving at the ports of Mumbai, Cochin, Mormugao, Chennai and New Mangalore has also been suspended till December, 2020 to ensure faster immigration clearance so that cruise tourists can spend maximum time on shore.
India has signed visa waivers with many countries to promote inbound tourism, investment. Photo courtesy: Press Information Bureau
Though surge in demand has somewhat slowed down the process and there are occasional complaints of not receiving the e-visa even after passing of 72 hours. Applicants also do complain bugs on the e-visa portal.
The Indian government has also allowed conversion of any category of visa of a foreign national who is married to an Indian citizen, Person of Indian Origin, OCI Cardholder into an Entry Visa at any point of time by the FRRO himself.
Other new changes are in facilities such as extension of employment and business visas for a period up to ten years within India as against five years at present; extension of visa of foreigners who are staying in India upto 15 years continuously and for five years at a time; permitting a foreign national who is already in India on Long Term Visa to attend international conferences/seminars/workshops without any specific permission from the FRRO (Foreigner Regional Registration Office) concerned have also been extended.
FRROs have been delegated power for various visa related services like Visa extension. Visa conversion, registration, exit permission, etc. These measures will help in expediting clearances for various visa related services to foreigners and cut their waiting time.
Indian government has introduced two new categories of e-visa that is e-Conference and e-Medical Attendant visa recently. E-visa is now available for five categories: Tourist, Business, Medical, Conference, and medical attendant.
Minister of Culture Mahesh Sharma at the launch of free pre-loaded SIM Cards for tourists arriving in India on e-visa in New Delhi. Photo courtesy: Indian Ministry of Culture
The local FRRO has been empowered now to extend the duration of electronic visas beyond 60 days up to 90 days. Moreover, these e-visas can now be availed three times in one year against twice a year earlier.
For foreigners who are already in India and who require any consular or visa services like an extension of visa, conversion of visa, exit permission or any of the total 27 visa-related services, an online e-FRRO facility has now been launched throughout the country.
The foreigners do not have to physically visit the offices of FRROs. They can apply as well as receive consular and visa services online after making online payment.
To promote cruise tourism immigration facilities have been provided at five major seaports where e-Landing Permits are granted to passengers for their onshore site-seeing.
Foreign nationals who fall sick during their stay in India can now avail medical treatment without converting their visa into Medical Visa. This would take care of sudden medical emergencies.
Foreigners require Restricted Area Permit or Protected Area Permit besides a proper visa to visit areas which have been declared as "Restricted" or "Protected" areas. In many cases such permits are granted only after a Prior Reference is made by the concerned State government to the MHA. This takes time and creates another entry barrier for a foreigner. The MHA has now rationalized issuance of such permits.
Prior Clearance of the MHA for grant of Protected Area Permit (PAP) and Restricted Area Permit (RAP) to foreigners in the following three major areas has been dispensed with :
- 1. Foreigners intending to visit a place covered under the PAP/RAP regime for activities other than tourism on a visa other than Tourist Visa;
- 2. Foreigners visiting a place for tourism purpose which is not opened for tourism;
- 3. Individual foreign tourists.
Earlier, foreigners visiting Andaman & Nicobar Islands required a visa as well as a RAP. With a view to promote the flow of tourism and investment, 30 islands of Andaman & Nicobar have been excluded from the RAP regime notified under the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963.
Earlier foreigners visiting Andaman & Nicobar Islands required a visa as well as an RAP. Now 30 islands of the archipelago have been excluded from the RAP regime. Photo courtesy: TourTravista, Twitter
Foreigners will also be allowed to visit 11 uninhabited islands, to be notified by Andaman & Nicobar Islands Admn., only for day trips without any RAP. Requirement of registration by foreigners visiting these islands has also been dispensed with.
Provisions relating to grant of intern visa have been liberalized with a view to attract more foreigners for internship in India which will be beneficial to Indian organizations. Intern Visa is now available at any time during the course of study.
Further, minimum remuneration requirement for grant of intern visa for internship in a company has been reduced from INR7.80 lakh to INR3.60 lakh per annum.
With a view to enhance transparency and speed in processing of grant of event clearance for international conferences, seminars, workshops, an e-Event Clearance Module has been rolled out in April, 2018. Faster conference clearance would result into faster visa issuance for the foreigners intending to attend such conference.
Rapid growth in arrival of foreigners with e-visa; 137 million dollars collected as fees till October this year
The top five countries whose nationals availed e-visa services in 2018 (till October 31,) are: United Kingdom -292,143, the United States 221,339, China 127,022, France 107,185, Germany 89,863.
Srinagar vies for a place at UNESCO list
The 2,200-year-old Srinagar is in a race to join the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Creative Cities network as the 'City of Crafts and Folk Arts'.
The project is a part of the program under the World Bank-assisted Jhelum-Tawi Flood Recovery project for Srinagar and Jammu cities. Under the project, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is submitting a dossier to the UNESCO to Srinagar city in the elite Creative Cities list.
"UNESCO has a programme under which they inscribe the cities having rich traditions of craft, art and music in the network. There are already some cities from Turkey, Egypt and South Africa which are in this network. There are seven parameters for applying. We are applying in the category of Craft and Folk Art," said Saleem Beg, Convener of the J&K Chapter of INTACH.
Created in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) fosters international cooperation within and across cities of the world that have invested in culture and creativity as an accelerator of sustainable development.
Currently, the network brings together 180 cities from 72 countries from all regions of the world. The UNESCO Creative Cities have a common mission — placing creativity and cultural industries at the core of their development strategies to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
INTACH Jammu and Kashmir is holding an extraordinary session of master craftsmen, startups, designers, entrepreneurs, traditional business houses and other stakeholders to discuss the nomination process and get inputs for preparing the dossier.
"We have to move the application by June 30 and we are running against time. There is fierce competition, but we have a lot of creative wealth. If Srinagar is included in the UNESCO network, it will auger well for the city," said Beg.
Once approved, a three- to four-year Implementation Program, aimed at sustainable development of the city through a vigorous revival strategy, both, at the administrative and policy-making level directly focusing on the concerned population set, shall follow.
The historic Srinagar city traces its origin to the reign of the Gupta king, Ashoka in around 250 BC at Panderethan, which is on the outskirts of the city. A great contribution was made to the cultural and artistic landscape of Kashmir by Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin.
Among the various crafts that were introduced in this period are the art of making lacquered pen cases known as kar-i-kalamdan (papier-mache), khatamband, pinjrakari (latticework), tilla qari, carpet weaving and papermaking.
"Today these crafts define the intangible heritage of not only Srinagar city, but of Kashmir itself," said an INTACH spokesman.
Creative Cities List
Created in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) fosters international cooperation within and across cities of the world that have invested in culture and creativity as an accelerator of sustainable development.
Srinagar vies for a place at UNESCO list
The 2,200-year-old Srinagar is in a race to join the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Creative Cities network as the 'City of Crafts and Folk Arts'.
The project is a part of the program under the World Bank-assisted Jhelum-Tawi Flood Recovery project for Srinagar and Jammu cities. Under the project, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is submitting a dossier to the UNESCO to Srinagar city in the elite Creative Cities list.
"UNESCO has a programme under which they inscribe the cities having rich traditions of craft, art and music in the network. There are already some cities from Turkey, Egypt and South Africa which are in this network. There are seven parameters for applying. We are applying in the category of Craft and Folk Art," said Saleem Beg, Convener of the J&K Chapter of INTACH.
Created in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) fosters international cooperation within and across cities of the world that have invested in culture and creativity as an accelerator of sustainable development.
Currently, the network brings together 180 cities from 72 countries from all regions of the world. The UNESCO Creative Cities have a common mission — placing creativity and cultural industries at the core of their development strategies to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
INTACH Jammu and Kashmir is holding an extraordinary session of master craftsmen, startups, designers, entrepreneurs, traditional business houses and other stakeholders to discuss the nomination process and get inputs for preparing the dossier.
"We have to move the application by June 30 and we are running against time. There is fierce competition, but we have a lot of creative wealth. If Srinagar is included in the UNESCO network, it will auger well for the city," said Beg.
Once approved, a three- to four-year Implementation Program, aimed at sustainable development of the city through a vigorous revival strategy, both, at the administrative and policy-making level directly focusing on the concerned population set, shall follow.
The historic Srinagar city traces its origin to the reign of the Gupta king, Ashoka in around 250 BC at Panderethan, which is on the outskirts of the city. A great contribution was made to the cultural and artistic landscape of Kashmir by Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin.
Among the various crafts that were introduced in this period are the art of making lacquered pen cases known as kar-i-kalamdan (papier-mache), khatamband, pinjrakari (latticework), tilla qari, carpet weaving and papermaking.
"Today these crafts define the intangible heritage of not only Srinagar city, but of Kashmir itself," said an INTACH spokesman.
Creative Cities List
Created in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) fosters international cooperation within and across cities of the world that have invested in culture and creativity as an accelerator of sustainable development.
Srinagar vies for a place at UNESCO list
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Diplomacy On The Menu: Govt Should Use Indian Food To Promote National Interests - Sniwire News
Diplomacy On The Menu: Govt Should Use Indian Food To Promote National Interests - Sniwire News