Indians are spending big on travel, but most of that money isn’t leaving the country

India’s travel landscape is changing as the country emerges as a powerhouse in the tourism sector. Their willingness to spend big while traveling is going, but research shows that most Indians are traveling domestically — not overseas. Indian travelers took 1.7b leisure trips in 2022 but most never left the country, and only about 1% traveled abroad, according to Booking.com and McKinsey. Indian travelers are projected to be taking 5b leisure trips by 2030, and 99% of those will be within the country as well, said the report published October. The world’s most populous country is set to be the fourth-largest global travel spenders by 2030, largely due to a growing middle-income population that will see household earnings grow by $35,000 annually by that time. In addition, the population is young, with the median age at 27.6, “more than ten years younger than that of most major economies,” McKinsey said on its website. “What’s more, consumption of goods and services, including leisure and recreation, is forecast to double by 2030.” Spending on travel and tourism is predicted to hit $410b — a surge of more than 170% from $150b in 2019, the report showed. According to the “How India travels 2023” report, about 2,000 Indians and 42,000 global tourists between 18 and 54 years booked leisure travel trips in 2022 and plan to do the same this year. New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Chennai retained the top four spots since the previous study in 2015 — Kochi is the only new city on the list. “India’s travel ecosystem is maturing and there are multiple government schemes that are making the country more connected and ensuring it develops into a tourist hub,” Kanika Kalra, managing partner at McKinsey Mumbai, told CNBC.<br/>