Sun, sea & sand beckon Indian tourists
Come summer or winter, Indian travellers are seaward bound. Travel industry experts throw light on which beach spots are doing well with discerning Indian travellers as they love discovering new destinations.
Indians love beaches and have been frequenting destinations like Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Travellers from India prefer these destinations for the simple reason that air connectivity is seamless from the country and getting a visa is easy. Even when it comes to accomodation, the hotels and resorts options are aplenty, which gives value to the Indian traveller. This is exactly what the Indian customer is looking for—new destinations and value for money.
Traditionally, popular beach destinations among Indian travellers have been Phuket, Langkawi and Penang for their hospitality and services. However, now some upcoming exotic destinations such as Maldives, Bali, Bora Bora, Tahiti and others have caught the fancy of the Indian traveller. Earlier there were a lot of air connectivity issues from India. Now, with different international airlines plying to these places, Indian travellers have shifted their interests to more exotic sites such as Seychelles and other locations with great hotel and resort options.
Mauritius has been a very popular beach destination among Indian tourists for a very long time. One of the recent favourites among Indian travellers is Seychelles, especially with direct flights on Air Seychelles. Even Maldives is very popular because of direct connectivity to the island nation. Apart from that, there are many other islands and countries, which people are travelling to, not just for beaches, but for other experiences as well. Beach destinations are mostly popular with honeymooners, who prefer exploring new places and gain unique experiences.
In my opinion, the number one beach destination for Indian customers is the Republic of Maldives. Our company has been promoting this destination a lot with exciting offers and packages. Another popular destination among Indian travellers seeking a unique beach experience is Seychelles. Other than that, every travel company has been promoting Mauritius in the Indian market for a very long time. There are queries for these destinations as they offer great connectivity and hospitality at various hotels and resorts.
For beach tourism, people are travelling both outside as well as within India. Many outbound destinations are doing very well in this segment. The affluent or luxury travellers prefer destinations like Bora Bora and Tahiti in the French Polynesia, as well as Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, while travellers on a budget prefer exploring beaches in Thailand. Other beach destinations such as Maldives, Mauritius, and Hawaii are also gaining popularity among Indians. I think we need to catch up and develop our beaches, as we lack right infrastructure in India.
For beach tourism, internationally I always prefer the South of France—Monte Carlo, Cannes, St. Tropez, etc. I think that place has the best of beaches. In Spain there are some of the best beaches, which are easily accessible from India. While there are good beaches in South America and other places as well, but connectivity and travel cost is very high. Also, closer to India, Thailand has some of the best islands, and now even Sri Lanka is coming up very well, as they are trying to promote their beaches and other tourism products to Indians.