Palma, Spain, May 21 (EFE).- Travel agents and tourism professionals said Wednesday during a roundtable at the ConX 2025 forum in Palma, Spain, that India stands out as one of the most promising markets in global tourism, both as a source and a destination for travelers.
According to data published by India’s Ministry of Tourism, 76.8 million foreign tourists visited the country between January and October 2024. Projections suggest that by 2030, there will be nearly 50 million outbound Indian travelers — more than double the current figure of almost 24 million.
Youthful population in India and investment drive tourism surge
Despite the ongoing armed conflict with Pakistan in the Kashmir region — currently under a ceasefire since May 10 — Walter Buschta, senior vice president at Phocuswright, argued that India’s public investment in tourism infrastructure and its demographic makeup are among its key strengths. “India is really an interesting case. You see that it has over 1.4 billion inhabitants — the market size is enormous — but if we look a bit closer, about half the population is 25 or younger,” he told EFE.
Buschta also noted that the Indian government is pouring significant resources into airport infrastructure. For example, there is a regional connectivity plan aimed at reaching 120 destinations and boosting air travel for an additional 40 million passengers, he noted.
Digitalization, rail upgrades, and global reach define the future
Also speaking at the ConX roundtable — an event organized by Travelgate — were Albert Fernando, founder and CEO of Travelwings; Bhanu Chopra, founder and director of RateGain Travel Technologies; Jaal Shah, managing director of Travel Designer Group and founder of RezLive.com; and Rajnish Kumar, director and co-CEO of Grupo ixigo.
Fernando emphasized India’s youthful population, noting that in the past two decades, online bookings have surged from minimal levels to around 80% of all transactions today.
All the speakers agreed that infrastructure in India is evolving — not only in aviation, but also in rail travel.
Finally, Jaal Shah pointed to other key drivers behind India’s growing prominence in global tourism, including expanded visa agreements with other countries, the overall growth of the Indian economy, and a strong push into the MICE sector (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions).
EFE