International travel is “no longer a luxury” and the number of outbound Indian travellers is expected to increase “substantially” during the current year, said Mr Rohit Hangal, Director, Sphere Travelmedia and Exhibitions.
Quoting some tourism studies, he said the number would go up to 14 million from 12 million last year.
According to him, almost 70 per cent of this number travels on leisure and the remaining 30 on business trips.
Speaking to the media following the launch of the 53{+r}{+d} edition of India International Travel Mart (a travel and tourism exhibition) here today, Mr Hangal said with the advent of low cost international airfares, holiday packages that are available on monthly instalment basis from a number of tourism operators, international travel is no longer a luxury.
He said while in the short-haul destinations Singapore, Dubai, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka are the major attractions, the UK and the US figure prominently in the long-haul segment.
Speaking about the three-day expo, he said with organisations and tourism boards from over 15 States and five foreign nations such as tourism boards of Thailand, Dubai, Poland, Oman and Switzerland, the expo will showcase a variety of destinations from various spheres such as pilgrimage, adventure, culture and heritage and healthcare.