It seems all roads from India these days are leading to Thailand, which is emerging as the favourite tourist destination for Indian globetrotters.
The top ranking is affirmed by the latest Hotel Price Index (HPI) report by Hotels.com, which represents 260,000 hotels in more than 60 countries including Thailand and India. Based on bookings made on Hotels.com in 2015, Bangkok emerged as the most preferred destination for Indians, pushing Dubai into second place.
Singapore and London occupied third and fourth positions respectively, followed by New York, Hong Kong, Paris and Phuket. Bali made an entry in 10th place. Hotels.com noted that since 2015 featured 13 long weekends, Indians made more trips to short-haul destinations in Asia.
Photo: dpauls.com
The Hotels.com report confirms what tourism authorities in Thailand and India have been saying for quite some time. The number of Indians who visited Thailand last year reached a record 1.07 million, a rise of 15% from the year before, according to Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul.
Economic growth and rising affluence are making it possible for a growing number of people in the world's second most populous country to travel abroad. In 2013, the most recent year for which Indian tourism ministry statistics were available, the country had 16.6 million outbound tourists. That compares with just 1.94 million in 1991.
A report by iGATE Research forecasts the number of outbound travellers from India will reach 30 million by 2018 and Thailand would be a major beneficiary. It attributed the growth in Indian travel to Thailand to the country's wide range of value-for-money offerings including leisure sports, adventure experiences, wellness and quality hotels and resorts.
Subhash Goyal, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), sees many reasons for the emergence of Bangkok as the top destination for Indian tourists. They include competitive airfares, visas on arrival for Indians, reasonable hotel rates, cultural affinity between the two countries, availability of Indian food, nightlife, a variety of wedding destinations, and aggressive promotion by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
"Thailand has everything for discerning Indian travellers -- from jungle safaris to beautiful beaches to palaces and cultural centres to great wedding destinations. Then there's the nightlife, good shopping venues, Indian food and courteous and friendly people," said Mr Goyal, who is also chairman of STIC Travel Group, one of the largest tour operators in India,
The resort city of Pattaya, he added, had become a major attraction for Indians for weddings as well as conferences.
Rajji Rai, former head of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and chairman of the Swift Group of companies, agrees. "Thailand is a favourite destination for all kinds of tourists including backpackers, holidaymakers and people seeking leisure as well as for corporate conferences," he said in an email exchange with Asia Focus.
"Destinations like Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui, Krabi and Hua Hin are preferred for leisure, weddings, honeymoons, golf and for holding conferences."
Raghuvinder Pal Singh, managing director of D Paul's Travel and Tours, which specialises in Thailand packages for Indians, believes Thailand is a great weekend getaway for all ages, and can be visited on a shoestring budget.
"In Thailand the hotel bookings start at 700 baht a night. You can book a very good hotel for 5,000 baht. It's a good destination for incentive tours," he said.
A five-night package to Dubai from D Paul's Travel and Tours costs 59,999 (US$891) per person while its six-night package for Bangkok and Pattaya is priced from 30,999 rupees ($466).
Mr Singh, whose company has worked on promotions with Thai tourism groups, is certain the number of Indian tourists to the country will only increase in the coming years. "I send on average 24,000 people to Thailand in a year. There is demand for 30,000," he said, making a case for more flights between Delhi and Bangkok.
Jet Airways this month introduced a second daily frequency between Mumbai and Bangkok and a second service between Delhi and Bangkok, filling the void created by the withdrawal of earlier flights by IndiGo and Kingfisher.
Mr Singh said that comparing Thailand with Dubai was like comparing apples with oranges, but in any case there are few destinations in the world with the varied elements Thailand offers. He also believes that unlike Dubai where a visitor can spend maximum of four or five days, Thailand has enough to keep a visitor occupied for eight or nine days. Also important for Indians is that their money goes farther, with one baht worth about 1.90 rupees.
Dhananjay Saliankar, regional director of sales for India and South Asia with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, says Thailand attracts budget as well as luxury travellers from India, although the former outnumber the latter.
"Thailand offers value. It is like Goa," he said. He adds that point-to-point air connectivity in Thailand and good air links with India had made it an appealing wedding destination for Indians. "You can take your entire family in one flight."
Starwood operates five Sheraton hotels in Thailand including the Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa which specialises in weddings.
Tourist outflows from India have been rising steadily at the top end of the market also, with more and more Indians turning into millionaires. A Credit Suisse report forecasts the number of dollar millionaires in India will rise by 65% by 2020. International Monetary Fund (IMF) said recently that India stood to deliver two-thirds of global growth, even with slightly declining momentum over the next four years.
Yet India, despite being home to large number of important Buddhist sites, has so far failed to attract Thai tourists in large numbers. The country does not even figure among the top 15 source markets, despite frequent talk by both sides of promoting Buddhist tourist routes.
"Indian destinations such as Bodh Gaya and Varanasi, which could attract Thai tourists, lack infrastructure. We can bring in more tourists from Thailand by seriously marketing the Buddhist heritage," said Mr Rai.