India has been voted one of the top five ‘must see’ travel destinations for people living in Asia Pacific, according to a survey commissioned by Visa, world’s largest retail electronic payments network.
The survey interviewed 4,500 respondents from nine Asia Pacific countries and territories to share their top ‘must-visit’ travel destinations in the region. Domestic tourism has proved to be a big draw with more than half of the Indian respondents in the Visa survey expressing interest in exploring the tourist attractions of their own country. According to the Annual Report of the Ministry of Tourism 2007-08, domestic tourism grew at 17.8 percent from 2005 to 2006 (380 million domestic tourists in 2005 to 462 million in 2006.
According to the survey, 63 percent of respondents said Australia was the place they wanted to see most. This was followed by Singapore (42 percent), New Zealand (41 percent), Japan (40 percent) and India (27 percent).
Among Indian respondents, the appeal across certain demographics was similar with 49 per cent of men and 53 per cent of women putting India in their ‘must see’ list. Across the age groups of Indian respondents, more than 55 per cent of those of 35 years and above selected India as a ‘must see’ destination.
India offers a variety of unique experiences for all travellers, but understanding the particular demographics of domestic travellers can help India make the right decisions when it comes to developing cardholder programs and promotions to support tourism.
