Who They Are and Where Do They Go?

- Sudipto Roy

Albeit the rising geopolitical unrest in the world, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) predicts that the Indian outbound travel market will account for 50 million tourists by 2020. The overall outbound travel spending is expected to cross over USD 28 billion as the country's new generation of middle class tourists are promising to be the most lucrative source markets for a plethora of luxury and business destinations around the world.

It is quite interesting to look at the contrasting travel styles of the Indian population. The second most populated country in the world after China registered around 18 million outbound trips in 2014. However, the relatively impoverished country where a resounding majority of the populace can only dream of a trip abroad, the 2 pc of the wealthy population are extensively travelling out of the country and availing luxury packages and opulent stays, accounting for a sizeable market share in the luxury travel sphere. Thus, the Indian outbound travel industry, driven by a blend of rising income levels, diverse tourism offerings, evolving lifestyles and amicable regulations, is turning into a goldmine for luxury travel destinations such as Australia, Saudi Arabia, the USA, the UAE, Thailand and the United Kingdom.

Who are tomorrow's luxury travellers?

Understanding the traveller tribes of the present times through a study conducted by Amadeus called Shaping the Future of Luxury Travel, the Indian travellers can also be divided by virtue of their behaviours, intentions and varying levels of affluence.

Special Occasions: Luxury travel is considered a treat and this group therefore look for one-off experiences and luxury facilities, may be once or twice a year. This tribe could include loyalty customers using points to upgrade their cabin class.