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India

India

Visitor characteristics

  • There are more male than female visitors and 2-in-3 visitors were aged 25-54 years old in 2017
  • 33% of holiday visitors (excluding British expats) are making a repeat visit to Britain (within ten years)
  • Just over half of the visits from India to Britain were made by people who reside in the Maharashtra (including Mumbai) and in the Delhi states
  • 76% of departing Indian staying holiday visitors (excluding British expats) say they are ‘extremely likely’ to recommend Britain for a holiday or short-break, which is slightly above the 71% across all markets

Popular activities

Dining in a restaurant

Visited Parks/ Gardens

Went Shopping

Global context

Measure2017
International tourism expenditure (US$bn)18.4
Global rank for international tourism expenditure17
Number of outbound visits (m)18.1
Most visited destinationUnited Arab Emirates
Most visited destination in Western EuropeFrance

Key demographic and economic data

Measure2018
Population (m)1,356.0
GDP per capita PPP (US$)6,671
Annual average GDP growth over past decade (%)7.1
Annual average GDP growth over the past year (%)7.6

Resources

India market profile (PDF,1.7MB)

visitbritain_marketprofile_india_draft2018_december2018.pdf

India market snapshot

india_snapshot_oct2018.pdf

Find out where visitors from India to the UK reside in their own country. Published in 2008 and 2015

annual_states_of_residence_2016_for_web.xlsx

More resources

More information on how Indian travellers use social media on holidays compared to travellers from other countries. Published in 2015

foresight_142_-_november_2015_social_media.pdf

Read our report examining perceived barriers to exploring Britain outside of London for Indian visitors. Published October 2014 

2014-10 Exploring Great Britain research – Emerging Markets_2.pdf

Take a look at our India visa research to find out if the visa process is a barrier to potential visitors. Published in 2011

India Visa Research Presentation.pdf

India aviation profile (PDF, 137KB)

aviation_market_india_20072018.pdf

Exchange rate

1 GBP = 90.5984 INR

As of 11 December 2018

Retrieved from the Bank of England

Inbound visits to Britain

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Seasonality (Share of visits)

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Regional spread (Share of visits)

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Journey purpose (Share of visits)

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What Indians think about Britain

  • Those in India have a generally positive view of Britain. Indians also rate Britain more highly than any other inbound markets for ‘natural beauty’ according to the 2017 Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index; their perceptions of the British culture and tourism in Britain have also improved by two places each since 2016, now ranking third and second respectively against 49 other nations
  • For Indian respondents the cultural product or service they most expect to be produced in Britain is ‘museums’
  • Those in India are much more likely than average to believe that a holiday in Britain would be ‘romantic’ and ‘relaxing’
  • Top holiday desires include ‘enjoying the beauty of the landscape’, ‘feeling connected to nature’ and ‘good value for money’. Although Britain rates above average for all those holiday attribues, Australia is the destination most often considered as the ‘best place’ to get the former two while USA is perceived as the ‘best place’ for the latter holiday desire 
  • Britain seems to be the best destination for ‘visiting a place with lots of history/ historic sites’ and ‘revisiting places of nostalgic importance’ for Indian respondents

Caring for visitors

  • Family plays an extremely important role in Indian life. Visitors will often ask for family or interconnecting rooms
  • The use of the 'Namaste', the greeting with folded hands, is usually appreciated among Indian guests, while it is best to wait for your guest to extend their first to shake it
  • Many Indians are vegetarian and teetotallers, and it is vital that a good variety of vegetarian options are made available on menus
  • Leisure visitors from India are less likely than those from the average market to use a credit card while in Britain
  • Whilst many speak good English, some may have issues understanding slang or accent

The leisure & travel trade

  • The travel trade in India changes slowly as the digital adoption rate keeps increasing, especially on mobile
  • However the trade still plays a pivotal role in booking outbound travel: online booking is still mainly popular for domestic travel, and digital sources are used mostly for travel inspiration and destination information
  • Brochures are planned and produced in December or January – discussions are best started a year in advance, but can still occur in October-November as last-minute changes in the itinerary happen frequently
  • Telephone contact and face-to-face interaction is appreciated, as well as the provision of brochures

Access to Britain from India

Measure2017*
Weekly aircraft departures110
Weekly seat capacity29,517
Airports with direct routes in India6
Airports with direct routes in Britain2
  • The majority of airline seats are destined for London Heathrow and mostly originate from either Mumbai or Delhi*
  • Those flying home to India from Britain pay £78 in Air Passenger Duty if travelling in economy class
  • Visitors from India need a visa to visit Britain and should apply for a six-month standard visitor visa currently costing £93

 

*2017 data (direct, non-stopping routes, excluding flights from Goa)

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