Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com 8 | ITB ASIA Official Dailies By Neelam Mathews Increasingly, high-income consumers are being clustered in the younger age bracket of the working population. As aspirational levels rise, earnings of this new generation are not just higher but are growing more rapidly. It has been forecast by 2020, the average age of Indians will be 29 years compared with 37 for China and 48 for Japan. Even as spending patterns rise and savings decrease, tourism boards have reason to rejoice and uncork the bubbly. Discretionary spending is back on track after a recession of two years, said Rajeev Nangia, COO, Trac Representations, a destination marketing company. "The philosophy of travel has changed in the past few years. The younger gen is done with neighbouring destinations and has reached the experiential stage. Today, its adventure, and activity, not just for the sake of it, but because of an interest and a need to take off from high stressed jobs," Nangia adds. Sports Tourism too, is doing its rounds. Cricket at Lords, Formula One in Monaco, rafting in Kenya and the Brazil World Cup have been big sellers, Nangia said. Long weekends are no longer for household chores. Increasingly, cycling and hiking in Nepal and India are getting popular. Fare wars between airlines have encouraged people to take increased short weekend trips. The Groupon pan-India survey of young professionals between 21- 35 years titled "Confessions of a Traveller" notes that 45% of Indian travellers prefer to travel with family, followed by 32% with friends. However, "a surprising 64% are open to the idea of travelling solo… wanting to indulge in some quality 'me' time and discover their true passion in life," said Ankur Warikoo, CEO Groupon India. The study has gone that extra mile in noting habits and peeves of Indian travellers. It notes 56% are explorers at heart, 8% prefer to be safe and visit frequented places, and 36% want both. On their "wild" side, it candidly notes: "condoms do not make it to the top five travel must-haves for a surprising 64%. Attracted to the idea of romantic escapades in a foreign land, 21% respondents are open to the idea of risqué one-night stands while on holiday, and an identical percentage of respondents confessed to having drunk-dialed someone while on vacation." Despite a health fetish, good news for food establishments is 70% of young Indians forego diet plans on vacation. Gone are the days of worrying about vegetarian Indian food as respondents chose to try local delicacies while travelling, though a significant number preferred to play it safe and adhere to known cuisines such as Italian, Chinese and Mexican. Google emerged as the top choice for travellers looking for advice on local eating joints, places to visit. This was followed by bloggers, discovery guides, social networking sites, and local residents in that order. A segment where spending on travel has been consistent, is of the Ultra High Net Worth Individuals, with spending consistent with that of the global jet set, says Kotak Bank. Take for instance, a Bollywood distributor who has hired the Royal Albert Hall in London for a wedding in the family later this year, which will also host performances Bollywood stars. Another instance is of a Mumbai couple who held their wedding last year in Monte Carlo, the highlight of which was a performance by the Senegalese-American hip-hop singer, Akon. As the Indian wedding season starts this winter, travel agents are doing brisk business on honeymoon travel. INDIA'S OUTBOUND MANTRA: THE NEW GEN TRAVELLER The times they are changing and nowhere is it more apparent than in India where a new demographic of around 70% of the population is below 35 years. Swimming with dolphins in Jamaica. "Indians don't think twice before spending on honeymoons. From yachting to diving and staying at top- notch resorts around the world – it's all factored in," said Nangia. marketing

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