Sweden, Greece, Ireland, Switzerland and Japan are the new choice of destinations for Indian tourists, who prefer to visit places that have a true sense of history and authenticity. To get more Indians to visit their homeland, however, experts have said there is an urgent need to continue the focus on domestic tourism and upgrade world heritage sites.

The thrust for exploration to foreign places needs to be duplicated in India, says Sharad Dhall, President at Yatra.com, a travel portal.

“Abroad, they make it very easy to reach these places. The underlying infrastructure in many of these countries caters to tourism. We need to take a step in that direction. We need to better our infrastructure here so as to ensure that not just foreigners, even more Indians would want to explore the hidden India,” he said.

Infrastructure Status Gour Kanjilal, Executive Director, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), said it was time the Indian tourism industry was conferred with an infrastructure status. IATO is to meet with Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and urge the government to restart the facility of booking group train tickets to facilitate local tourism.

Stating that the thrust on domestic and inbound tourism could be ensured by developing key tourist destinations and making them more tourist-friendly, Yatra’s Dhall said though the Budget spoke about driving infrastructure in key tourist spots, and increasing instances of visa on arrival, many more steps were needed.

According to a recent survey by Yatra.com, more than 60 per cent Indians are eager to travel and remain unaffected by the dip in rupee and continue to pursue their holiday plans. Another report has identified Indian travellers as the most experimental travellers in the Asia-Pacific region.

Skyscanner, a travel search engine, has noted that Indians have searched for 231 different countries around the world in the first half of 2015, eager to explore the uncharted, and tour to locations that are off the beaten track.

Ireland, Sweden and Greece are preferred over all-time favourites. “In the spirit of exploration, Indians are looking for more unfrequented destinations. The diversification in destinations indicates a greater sense of adventurism, and should be heartening for the India tourism industry as a whole,” said Kavitha Gnanamurthy, Senior Marketing Manager, Skyscanner India.

‘Must see’ places Skyscanner’s data suggest that Indian travellers are heading to countries that offer an array of tourist attractions, unexplored terrains, vast landscapes, cultures, and rich heritage.

Ireland, a rugged and romantic island with landscapes steeped in geological richness, has witnessed a 110 per cent year on year growth in searches, and is one of the emerging destinations for Indian travellers this year, while the snow-capped peaks and deep green forests of Sweden has witnessed a 106 per cent year on year increase in searches.

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