Globe-trotting Indians all set to scale new records

With the economy booming and levels of disposable income on the rise, Indians are globe-trotting like never before. For countries across the Asia Pacific, this year promises to break all records in tourist arrivals from India.

While the biggest destination for Indians heading South-East, Singapore, has already seen an increase of 24 percent so far, the jump has been even more pronounced for destinations like Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Australia.

"We have had 40 percent more visitors from India this August and we easily expect the number to break all records this year," says Maggie White, regional manager for South and South Asia for Tourism Australia.

Enthused by the response, the Australian government has even drawn out a comprehensive plan for increasing the number of Indians landing upon the shores down under, divided almost equally into students, holidayers and business-travellers.

"We have classified India, China and Indonesia as the markets of the future in the region," White adds, "with overall Indian visitors poised to grow at a 14.2 percent for the next 14 years. But within this, both tourists and academic visitors have been growing at a higher pace of around 30 percent."

But while the total number of Indians expected to visit Australia is expected to touch about 65,000 this year, up from last year's 55,000, Singapore, the biggest market in the region, is expecting the number of visitors to go up to five lakh anytime this year.

With holidayers and business visitors making up nearly 90 percent of the 4.71 lakh Indian visitors to the state last year, the shopper's paradise has already seen an increase of 24 percent in visitor arrivals from the country this year.

With nearly 4.27 visitors in the first nine months alone, the country is expected to welcome anywhere between 5.7 to 6 lakh Indian visitors during 2005.

"I think it has to do with two things," says Rebecca Lim, Singapore Tourism's Regional Director in Mumbai, "One is the booming economy and the second is the fall in airfares...You can easily buy a return ticket to Singapore for around Rs 10,000, much less than the fares to many parts within the country."

Other destinations that have seen record-breaking arrivals from India are Malaysia and Srilanka.

Both countries are already charting virgin territory with the latter witnessing a 32 percent jump in the number of Indian visitors while Malaysia, a hot favourite for honeymooners, seeing a 27.5 percent increase.

While Srilanka saw nearly 73,000 visitors from India in the first eight months, its eastern neighbour saw nearly double the number, around 1.52 lakh Indian visitors.