The overseas tourism from India is on the rise. It has become a trend and more and more Indians are globe-trotting. A report by VFS Global, an outsourcing and technology services firm, stated that the outbound tourism from India is on a rise. It also states that there has been a constant year-on-year increase in visa applications in the past few years.
The report said that in the last two years, the maximum visa applications received were for the US, the UK, and China. According to the data compiled by VFS Global, compared to the 4.3 million applications received in 2016, there was a 10 per cent rise in visa applications in 2017.
This makes it apparent that foreign travel is no longer limited to the few privileged in the country. Vinay Malhotra, VFS Global Regional Group COO Middle East, South Asia and China, said, “More Indians are travelling abroad today than ever before, and are keen to explore even off-beat destinations”.
Based on the data, the top five destinations for visa applications in 2016 and 2017 were – the US, Malaysia, the UK, Canada, and China. Thailand witnessed the biggest increase in 2017. The European countries are the most popular among Indians. There was also a growth witnessed in the emerging tourist markets like the Czech Republic, Turkey, and Japan.
There was a positive trend noted in the emerging destinations in the year 2017. The report mentioned that there is a new trend among Indian travellers and the willingness to explore off-the-beaten-track destinations. This has resulted in many of these destinations becoming popular among Indian travellers.
*Source:IBEF
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