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Travel is on the rise again. According to the UN's tourism agency, international travel for all purposes reached 97% of its pre-pandemic level in the first quarter of 2024. In some regions such as Africa and Europe, arrivals are already surpassing these levels.

Indian travelers, in particular, are adding to this growing trend—no nation's outbound tourism market is growing faster. In response to this rapidly expanding travel boom, Indian airlines ordered record numbers of new planes in 2024.

The Indian travel market is gigantic, with its middle class now representing 31% of the country's population. This figure is expected to increase to 60% by 2047, meaning there will be more than 1 billion middle-class Indians by the middle of the century.

For budding Indian tourists, the future of travel looks exciting. But for the many destinations already besieged by overtourism, this new market may be viewed through a more skeptical lense.

Nonetheless, Indian tourists spent US$33.3 billion (£25.3 billion) in 2023, and many destinations are recognizing their potential. In April, for example, Japan introduced a new e-visa system for Indian tourists in the hopes of increasing arrivals.

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