India: The Next Travel Goldmine

Thirty million Indians stepped out of the country in 2024. That’s not just a statistic, but a signal. A signal that India is now one of the most powerful outbound travel engines globally. With rising disposable incomes, a young and aspirational demographic, and airlines unlocking new routes at an unprecedented pace, India is no longer an emerging market, it’s the market everyone wants a piece of.

Against this backdrop, the panel discussion titled ‘India – The Next Travel Goldmine’ at the SATTE Conference 2026 explored why India’s outbound boom matters and how destinations and travel companies can tap into this opportunity. The discussion was steered by moderator Aashish Gupta, Consulting CEO of FAITH.

Decoding the opportunity called India

For destinations, India is no longer a secondary market but a strategic priority.
Nuwal Fadhilah Ku Azmi, Senior Director at Tourism Malaysia, emphasised that India continues to play a vital role in Malaysia’s visitor economy. She noted that the country welcomed around 1.6 million Indian visitors last year, underscoring the scale of the opportunity.

However, she pointed out that Indian travellers often associate Malaysia primarily with Kuala Lumpur, overlooking the wider diversity of the destination. “Indians are very sophisticated travellers. But mostly when they talk about Malaysia, they know about Kuala Lumpur,” she said, highlighting destinations such as Penang, Langkawi, Sabah and Sarawak as areas with untapped potential.

According to Azmi, Indian travellers increasingly rely on digital platforms for inspiration. “Indian travellers look online and on social media to find ideas, where to go, what to do, what’s the next best thing. We want to provide all this information to open their minds,” she said.

She also highlighted Tourism Malaysia operates three offices in India: Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, allowing the organisation to gather insights and better understand traveller behaviour. “Our first office opened in Mumbai around 25 years ago. That was really our first foray into India, and we have been trying to understand how best to penetrate this market ever since,” she added.

Culture & proximity as key advantages

Aziz Mirdalijov, Head of Marketing at the Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan, highlighted the strong geographic advantage the Uzbekistan enjoys. “A flight from Delhi to Tashkent is only two hours. From Delhi to Mumbai it is two and a half hours. Tashkent is even geographically closer to India. We know your history, culture, your dance and your music. In Uzbekistan, everybody knows India,” he said, noting the popularity of Bollywood in the country.

Around 80,000 Indian tourists visited Uzbekistan last year, supported by 13 weekly flights between Tashkent, Mumbai and Delhi. While cultural heritage remains the core attraction, the destination is broadening its appeal.

Art of selling in India

For travel companies, however, tapping into the Indian outbound market requires nuance and localisation. Romil Pant, Executive Vice President and Head – Holidays at Thomas Cook (India) Limited, stressed that destinations often make the mistake of viewing India as a single market. “When you promote a destination here, you must understand that India is a multitude of cultures, languages and people.”
 

According to him, strategies must differ by region. In northern India, travellers may be drawn more towards sightseeing and shopping, while southern travellers may prioritise culture. Meanwhile, markets in eastern India may show greater interest in history and heritage.

“It’s not a single strategy that works here,” he explained. “You have to apply multiple strategies to target the Indian customer effectively.”

Pant also emphasised the importance of passion within the travel sales ecosystem. “You cannot have a bored person selling travel. Holidays are about excitement in people’s eyes and minds,” he said. “If someone simply says ‘Where do you want to go? I’ll give you an itinerary’, nothing sells.”

Organisations must empower teams to experiment and innovate. “You have to remove the fear of making mistakes. People should feel that the organisation is backing them up even if they get something wrong,” he added. “Excitement and commitment from the organisation have to go hand in hand.”

Chasing trends & proactiveness

India’s outbound travel market is also strongly influenced by shifting trends and social buzz.

Himanshu Patil, President of the Outbound Tour Operators Association of India and Director at Kesari Tours, explained that destinations often rise to popularity almost overnight. “India is a market that follows trends,” Patil said. “Suddenly everyone starts talking about a destination like Vietnam, and then travellers start running to that country.”

Policy decisions can also influence demand patterns. He pointed to the introduction of visa-free entry for Indians to Malaysia as an example. “When Malaysia introduced visa-free entry for Indians, the traffic suddenly shifted,” he noted.

Another destination currently experiencing strong demand is Japan, particularly during the iconic cherry blossom season, when flights and hotels often sell out well in advance.
Patil emphasised that India’s outbound potential remains largely untapped. “We have around 143 million active passports today, which means only about eight per cent of the population holds a passport,” he explained. “Around 90 per cent of Indians have still not crossed international borders. That is a huge opportunity.”

Travel companies therefore closely monitor social media trends and emerging destinations to remain competitive. “We constantly track where demand is moving and allocate our resources accordingly. Being proactive is very important,” he said.

International travel - the new status symbol

India’s youthful demographics are also reshaping travel aspirations. Parikshit Choudhury, Chief Business Officer – B2B & Customer Contact Group at MakeMyTrip, highlighted that the country’s average age is just 29.2 years, with half the population below the age of 30. Post-pandemic, he noted, younger travellers increasingly prioritise experiences over material possessions.

Choudhury said, “Fundamentally, travel has become the largest show-off.” For businesses, engaging young travellers early is crucial. “Young people are aspiring to travel outside and are using Instagram for inspiration,” he said. “That becomes the big theme for any business, to capture them early.”

Outbound travel also represents a significant revenue opportunity for travel companies. “Outbound as a travel product can give you almost 8X the revenue compared to domestic travel,” he added.

For the travel ecosystem, the message is clear: understand where the young traveller spends, catch them in the right channels, and tailor strategies accordingly. “India is young, and they are on Instagram,” he remarked. One can use Instagram as a medium to promote travel products and pick up countries which are easily accessible.

The coming impact of AI

Technology, particularly artificial intelligence, is also expected to reshape the outbound travel distribution landscape. Varun Sarda, Co-founder of DMC Bazaar, believes, “Everything is going to change,” Sarda said. “Travel advisors will have to upgrade their skills through technology and AI while also becoming true advisors by travelling themselves.”

He noted that the sheer abundance of online information is already transforming how travellers search and book. As a result, travel advisors must redefine their role within the ecosystem.

The whole search engine is going to change for travel phenomenally. “If advisors want to become the search engine for travellers, they need to empower themselves with these tech tools,” he said.

Sarda believes the future lies in hyper-personalised travel services. “If you become a hyper-personalised concierge, you can do phenomenally well,” he explained, even as margins across the industry continue to tighten.

For travel professionals, combining technology with first-hand travel experience will be the key differentiator. “Create distribution, improve your supply, and become the best seller of what you know in travel,” he concluded. “Your personal experience is what will ultimately pay that dollar.”