India's outbound tourism witnessing rush this summer: Survey

NEW DELHI: A growing number of Indians belonging to upper middle class families are opting for foreign holidays this summer, drawn by online travel portals, social media references and wooed by aggressive marketing by tour operators, says an Assocham survey.

It is estimated that outbound tourists may increase by about 15 to 20 per cent this summer, although domestic destinations like Srinagar are also drawing a huge crowd as is witnessed by full flights to and from these destinations.

Significantly, the outbound tourist rush is being witnessed even as the Indian economy is battling a slowdown.

Moreover, excessive heat in most parts of the country, coupled with attractive packages for nearby holiday destinations like Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia are wooing the well-off middle class to opt for such destinations.

The outbound tourism is expected to grow further once the economy picks up, according to the survey.

Another reason behind Indians opting for overseas holidays is the fast integration of the Indian economy with the rest of the world, courtesy which IT firms are sending lakhs of professionals on short-term assignments to work abroad.

International tourist destinations like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, Maldives and South Africa will be Indian travellers' favourites this summer, the survey said.