India
India
Travellers from India made 18.8 million outbound visits in 2024, with a total international tourism expenditure of US$28.31 billion.
In 2023, the UK welcomed 604,000 visits from India. During the travellers’ visits, their total expenditure was a record £804 million, with an average spend of £1,332 per visit.
Visitor characteristics
- In 2023, there were almost more than twice as many male than female visitors from India. Almost two-in-three visits were made by Indian residents aged 25-54 years old.
- 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 are made by people who reside in the Maharashtra and Delhi states.
- 86% of departing Indians (excluding British expats) say they are ‘extremely likely’ to recommend Britain for a visit, above the 82% average across all markets.
Popular activities for this market
Dining in a restaurant.
Sightseeing of famous buildings and monuments.
Going shopping.
For further information on activities and experiences for this market, please click here.
Explore the inbound data in full
Use our visualisations to see data from this market in greater depth and clarity. Compare annual statistics, and filter by age group, gender, trip duration and more. Includes seasonality, trip purpose and regional spread of visitors to UK destinations. This data is based on the International Passenger Survey, conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
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Perceptions of Britain in the Indian market
- Those in Indian have a very positive perception of the UK, ranking it third out of 50 nations in the 2024 Anholt Nation Brands Index.
- The UK was ranked third for historic buildings and sport. It was also highly rated for its contemporary culture, culture in general and vibrant city life/urban attractions.
Global context
Top-level statistics relating to tourism expenditure and popular destinations for this market. For greater detail on inbound tourism flows from this market to the UK, see our data visualisations.
| Measure | 2024 |
| International tourism expenditure (US$bn) | 28.31 |
| Global rank for international tourism expenditure | 12 |
| Number of outbound visits (m) | 18.8 |
| Most visited destination | United Arab Emirates |
| Most visited destination in Europe | UK |
Caring for visitors
- Family is extremely important in Indian life. Visitors will often ask for family suites or interconnecting rooms.
- The use of the ‘Namaste’, a greeting with folded hands, is usually appreciated among Indian guests. It is best to wait for your guest to extend their first to shake it.
- There are strong cultural or religious traditions that influence the dietary preferences of Indians, including the promotion of vegetarianism. Most Indian vegetarians do not eat eggs, but they will drink milk. Due to religious sensitivities many Indians will avoid pork and beef. Main ingredients therefore need to be clearly highlighted to avoid confusion.
- Leisure visitors from India are less likely than those from the average market to use a credit card while in Britain.
- When checking-in to hotels, Indians expect help with their luggage from hotel staff as a common courtesy.
- Whilst many visitors from India speak good English, some may have issues understanding slang or accents.
The leisure and travel trade
- The travel trade changes slowly in India. It still plays a pivotal role in booking outbound travel while online booking is mainly popular for domestic travel. Digital sources are used mostly for travel inspiration and destination information.
- Brochures are planned and produced in December or January. Discussions should ideally begin one year in advance, but can still occur in October or November as last-minute itinerary changes are common.
- Telephone contact and face-to-face interaction is appreciated, as well as the provision of brochures.
- Indians prefer to communicate using WhatsApp over any other medium.
Access to Britain from India
The key routes and transport modes that connect this market with the UK.
| Measure | 2024 |
| Weekly aircraft departures | 144 |
| Weekly seat capacity | 40,243 |
| Airports with direct routes in India | 9 |
| Airports with direct routes in Britain | 4 |
- Of the airlines operating the India to Britain route in 2024, British Airways and Air India served the most departing seats, with a combined share of 70%.
- Routes connecting Delhi or Mumbai to London Heathrow served the most departing seats, with a combined share of 69%.
- The total London share of seat capacity on direct flights from India to the UK is 96%
- Following the COVID-19 pandemic, scheduled seat capacity on non-stop flights from India to the UK exceeded 2019 levels by 49% in 2024.
To see entry requirements for visitors to the UK from India click here.
To see rates for Air Passenger Duty charged on passengers flying to India from the UK click here.
Further resources
Where visitors from India to the UK reside in their own country.xlsx
How we source this information
We work with a number of data sources to provide a rich and insightful picture of our key inbound source markets. This includes, but is not limited to, data provided by Oxford Economics, the UNWTO, Apex, Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index and from our own surveys and ad-hoc research. The largest share of the data come from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) by the ONS.
Visit our About the International Passenger Survey page for more information on how the data is collected and analysed.
