South-east Asian countries step up efforts to woo Indian tourists

Visa-free entry among moves introduced amid rising competition from other regions

- Nirmala Ganapathy

South-east Asian countries are pulling out all the stops to woo increasingly affluent Indian travellers, amid rising competition from other regions to tap the expanding appetite for travel in the world's fastest-growing economy.

Malaysia and Thailand are among the countries that have introduced visa-free entry for Indians. Singapore, meanwhile, is looking to tap latent demand in non-metro cities by attracting young adults and families. Indians need to apply for a visa to enter Singapore and the processing time is within three days.

In the northern Indian city of Varanasi, hotelier Pradeep Narayan Singh, 60, is planning a family trip to Singapore, all because his sixyear-old grandson wants to visit the zoo.

Mr Singh had visited Singapore for work, but did not have any time to see the sights apart from Little India.

"My grandson found out about the Singapore Zoo somehow, and now he wants to go there," said Mr Singh, who has travelled to Thailand, Switzerland, Dubai and France on holiday in past years.

Mr Singh and his family are the types of visitors Singapore is keen to attract from non-metro cities, which are newer engines of growth, thanks to a burgeoning middle class and growing disposable income, coupled with an appetite for exploring overseas destinations.

"Apart from our ongoing efforts in metro cities, we are intensifying destination awareness in secondary cities," said Mr Markus Tan, Singapore Tourism Board's (STB) regional director for India, Middle East, South Asia and Africa.

There are eight metropolitan or metro cities in India, including capital New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. Secondary cities are secondtier ones like Varanasi, Chandigarh and Coimbatore.