Holidays: Bali, Goa Top Picks, Indian Travellers Prefer Foreign Destinations

India offers more affordable travel and has a visa-free regime that gives travellers more reason to choose destinations outside their country. India's international tourism boards are highly invested in advertisements for other international destinations, bringing a number of Indian tourists.

According to travel platform Agoda, searches for overseas accommodation have spiralled 53 per cent for the holiday season this year. Phuket, Dubai, Bangkok, Pattaya, and Bali are topping the list of favourite getaways for Indian travellers.

Co-founder of Pickyourtrail, Hari Ganapathy has seen a great increase of 7-10% in international queries throughout the year. "This growth is due to various factors, including border reopening and destinations that provide free-visa policies for Indian travellers. International travel is now easy and viable," he explained.

Chhavi Chadha, founder of Bespoke Tailormade Experiences, compared prices of popular domestic and international destinations for a week-long year-end holiday in 2024. While a trip to Goa can cost between Rs 77,000 to Rs 1,10,000, a trip to Bali can cost between Rs 1,05,250 to Rs 1,25,750.

It's around Rs 7,000-9,000 in Thailand for two people and in Coorg, it would be around Rs 15,000-17,000 for two people." So says Pragya Adiraj, founder and chief executive of Joy N Crew.

It has become easier for Indians to travel abroad because of visa-free or visa-on-arrival options. Countries that offer visas on arrival are Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives, and Sri Lanka. Indians can travel to about 62 countries without a visa.

Tourism boards of many countries, including Malaysia, are giving attractive packages to Indian travellers. India has emerged as the eighth-largest international tourism market for Western Australia and Tourism Western Australia is working to promote its brand across India.

The total number of international flyers travelling from and to India rose to 3.5 crores in April-September, much higher than 3.14 crore passengers in the corresponding six months of 2023, according to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) data.

Young adults, aged 25 - 40 years, dominate the landscape with short-haul trips to lively destinations. The 50+ age group looks for peaceful and relaxing getaways to Sri Lanka, Dubai, and Bali. Couples are still the dominant segment, accounting for more than 60 per cent of international travel bookings.

While international air traffic in 2023 was still far from the highs of 2018 and 2019, most industry participants expect the country to report historically high figures by the end of 2024. Air India recorded an 11 per cent increase in outbound travel demand in 2024 as compared to 2023 for passengers looking to travel to the US, Canada, Europe and Australia.

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