Where Indians Are Traveling Now - India Report

14.11.2024 - 04:11 / skift.com / Bulbul Dhawan

Indian travelers to Singapore have exceeded the 1 million mark, Singapore Tourism Board said on Wednesday. There was a 12% increase in Indian travelers to the country between January and October 2024 year-on-year. With this, India has become the third-largest source market for Singapore.

For all of 2023, a total of 1.1 million India travelers visited the country. However, the number has still not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, when Singapore received 1.4 million tourists from India. Earlier this year, the Singapore Tourism Board said that there was potential in the India market to reach 1.5 million tourists this year, but added that it had not set any target.

Indian Travel Trends: According to data shared by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), in the first half of 2024, passenger movement from India was the highest to the United Arab Emirates: nearly 5.4 million. As many as 1.45 million air passengers from India headed to Singapore. Apart from this, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Qatar made up the top 5 countries in terms of passenger movement from India. 

It is important to note that this data includes both Indian and non-Indian travelers. However, the DGCA data is crucial as it reveals the trend among Indian travelers. Short-haul destinations continue to form the lion’s share in international travel, with only the United Kingdom and Germany being long-haul destinations in the top 10. 

The merger of full-service airlines Air India and Vistara has been completed. The merged entity will operate under the Air India brand and will operate over 5,600 weekly flights. As part of the merger, the loyalty programs of the two airlines have also been merged to form a redesigned program called ‘Maharaja Club.’ 

“The merger of Air India and Vistara leaves the Indian aviation industry with only one single full-service carrier in India. This shift brings both opportunities and challenges, largely dependent on Air India’s ability to meet high service standards and address the capacity previously offered by Vistara. This industry consolidation may, at times, lead to fare increases, particularly during peak travel periods such as year-end holidays and festival seasons.,” Pragya Priyadarshini, Vice President at management consultancy firm Primus Partners, told Skift. 

Jaideep Mirchandani, Group Chairman of aviation services company Sky One, said, “The Air India-Vistara merger represents a game-changing phase for the Indian aviation industry regarding changes in supply, services, and competition within the sector.”

He added that the merger could lead to a rise in the service standards within the Indian aviation industry. 

The combined entity has a fleet of 208 aircraft. The Tata Group purchased Air India