Singapore leads inbound traveller interest in 2015: Survey

MUMBAI: There is a growing interest in India among international travellers and Singapore has topped the list of 10 countries that has seen the highest rise in people searching for destinations in the sub-continent, says a survey.

According to a recent TripAdvisor traffic study, travellers from Singapore have shown the largest increase in interest (23 per cent) year-over-year in Indian destinations on the site.

The study examined TripAdvisor site data to find which markets had the largest increases in share of traffic sessions on TripAdvisor, including one or more views of India in terms of total TripAdvisor sessions in October 2013 - September 2014 compared to October 2014 - September 2015.

Singapore is followed by the United States (13.15 per cent) and China (9.54 per cent) in the list.

Rising interest across Asia indicates positive growth in inbound tourism to India, with Asian countries accounting for six of the top 10 markets showing an increase in the share of visitor sessions looking at Indian destinations, it opined.

However, the report said what is significant to note is the increase in interest from long-haul markets including the United States and the Caribbean (4 per cent), signalling healthy inbound travel trends for India.

"We are seeing growth in interest not just from Asian countries but also from long haul inbound markets with domestic travel being as strong as ever," TripAdvisor India Country Manager Nikhil Ganju said.