NEW DELHI: Singapore continued to be the most visited destination for leisure and business travellers from India in 2012, even as the number of visitors declined as compared to the previous years, said a recent study titled India Outbound Travel Monitor 2012, by Nielsen, a global information and measurement company. The study was carried out in 10 cities with over 2500 respondents.
As against 23% travellers for leisure and 15% for business to Singapore in 2010, only 16% and 11% travelers visited the country for the respective purposes last year. The countries that gained in terms of percentage of travelers included Nepal (11%), America (6%), Bangladesh (6%) and United Kingdom (5%). Malaysia (8%), Thailand (7%) and UAE (3%) dropped in ranking as most visited destinations.
Business travel to US, Malaysia, Australia and UK registered an increase. "Indians are looking to travel and explore beyond their comfort zones. This is attributed to the freely available and accessible information on different destinations, and details on cuisine, tourist spots", said Dinesh Kapoor, ED, Nielsen India.
In terms of leisure travel too, India recorded a variation in the countries visited, shifting from destinations in South East Asia to new places in Europe. Over one in five respondents (22%) from tier II cities said they are keen to explore Nepal. While respondents from tier I cities are looking to travel to Singapore and Switzerland as top destinations.
A majority of the leisure travellers (64%) said they preferred search engines and travel websites as preferred source of information, while 56% business travellers opted for the same. Online travel portals (33%) and travel websites (20%) also emerged as critical sources of information. The influence of travel agencies, though, has reduced from 60% to 35%.
According to the study, the average travel expenditure for the people travelling for leisure stood at $3,894, while that on business travel at $2,175.
Singapore most visited travel destination for Indians: Study
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Singapore most visited travel destination for Indians: Study
