The story is similar for British visas.
Many people in India, as well as other applicants, feel the process is too harsh and can be humiliating. Endless amounts of paperwork are required, including bank statements and invitation letters, and rejections are often not explained.
In a study of travel trends in India, online travel platform Booking.com also found that Indian tourists typically book their trip at the last minute. They spend just 30 days planning a holiday on average, compared with 63 days for Americans and 90 days for Brits.
Many simply cannot be bothered with time-consuming visa requirements, and are opting for easier and more welcoming destinations instead.
So, where are they going?
Budget airlines flying to relatively nearby destinations have contributed to India’s tourism rush, with south-east Asia increasingly popular. According to Google Trends, Vietnam was the most-researched destination by Indians in 2023.
That year, the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism reported a 231% increase in visitors from India compared with 2019. Other south-east Asian countries such as Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia are seeing similarly huge jumps in arrivals.
Indian travellers are hugely influenced by television and movies, often opting to visit the places they have seen in Bollywood. Despite visa restrictions, the number of Indian tourists visiting Spain jumped by 40% in 2011 after the La Tomatina festival – where participants throw tomatoes at each other – was featured in the popular Hindi movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.
It has been a similar story for Switzerland.
Several Bollywood movies filmed there over the past 50 years have resulted in an Indian tourism love affair with the country. The Swiss tourist board even offers Bollywood tours to the various sites featured in Indian cinema.
While only 9% of Indian travellers focus on long-haul destinations in western Europe, Switzerland has been a top-20 destination for Indian tourists for over a decade.
Other destinations have started using Bollywood actors in their promotional campaigns. Dubai, for example, is promoted by the Indian acting superstar and film producer Shah Rukh Khan. And the heartthrob actor Siddharth Malhotra has been New Zealand’s brand ambassador since 2015.
By 2040, the number of international tourist departures from India could hit 90 million, not far from the 104 million Chinese tourists who travelled in 2019.However, research suggests that Chinese holidaymakers are increasingly deciding to travel at home, meaning Indian tourists may soon overtake them.
As more people in India flock to airport departure lounges, tourist destinations around the world are jostling for position in the race to take their share.
Ross Bennett-Cook, Visiting Lecturer, School of Architecture + Cities, University of Westminster
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
