Impressively, the post-Covid phase is seeing a major spurt in global travel as also domestic tourism. Economies are generally stable and fears of another global meltdown have not been substantiated in serious ways. Large numbers of Indians are traveling, both within the country and to prized destinations abroad. Notably, the US mission’s announcement in New Delhi that it has surpassed the target of one million visa applications from this country for 2023, much before the year-end, is a sign of the times. Foreign tourist arrivals in India doubled during the first half of this year to stand at over 4.3 million, while over 6 million of them arrived here the previous year. Domestic tourism here also saw a major rise in travel in the post-Covid phase, with nearly seven million people contributing their mite to the sector in 2021, followed by a sharp rise to 1,700 million last year.
While over 1 million Indians have already lined up for the US visit this year, fact is also that lots of Indians flew to other popular destinations like Dubai, London, Canada, Singapore, Thailand etc. The travel industry, the aviation companies and the hospitality sector, all of them largely hit by the Chinese-induced pandemic, might by now have more than made up for the huge losses they suffered. The rates in all these sectors have sharply increased but this is not dissuading travel buffs from venturing out.
The nation of 1.4 billion has an active 10 per cent affluent upper class and a 20 per cent well-heeled middle class, the rest being the underlings who live on hope, hard labour and rationed foodgrains. The rich and the middle class together form a huge segment. Among them are also the retired government officials, several of them drawing big pensions. They are the new segment that oils the tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors. They have disposable incomes and are not saddled by family burden. Their children, in most cases, have happily settled down. India’s hugely corrupt systems and its corrupt bureaucracy, apart from the business class, are all helping large numbers from their ranks to splurge money on travel and tourism. What should also be noted is that the moneybags have more opportunities to splurge on foreign soil, where no-holds-barred entertainment is available at a price. Contrast this with the palpable boredom in India, its choked cities, from where millions of youths are now flying abroad to study and to fetch jobs, which are aplenty for the asking in cities in the West. Little wonder, then, that the US easily surpassed its one-million visa target for this year when three more months are yet to open.
