Spotlight on India

As the Mole was savouring some exotic Indian cuisine at the launch of the latest Incredible India campaign on Friday, a new perspective on this fascinating country came in to view. The burgeoning middle class has made this once maligned destination suddenly the next big thing in travel.

Consider these facts;

India is ranked eighth in the world for the number of billionaires.

Over 70,000 individuals have over US$1 million at their disposal.

250 million people are classed as middle class.

The mobile phone population in India is 65 million, but remember, that’s only a 6% market penetration.

The Indian Railway system employs over 1 million people.

Nearly 15 million Indians do distance travel by train every day–as opposed to 50,000 passengers who fly. In 2002 Gorur Ramaswamy Gopinath saw the light. Even if 5% of India’s train travelers upgraded to air travel, it would create a boom in the industry, he reasoned.

Air Deccan started in 2003 with one aircraft, Today it has 19.  It has placed a $1.1 billion order with Airbus and will get an aircraft a month for the next 64 months. In its first full year of operation, ending in March, the company flew 1 million passengers and had revenues of $75 million. Projected revenue for this year: $250 million.

His success in the fast-growing aviation industry has set off a gold rush. Two new airlines–Delhi-based SpiceJet Limited and beer baron Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines–started flying in recent months. Several new players are waiting in the wings–including Indigo, backed by U.S. Airways’ former chief Rakesh Gangwal, and GoAir, which is backed by Jeh Wadia from the controlling family of the giant Bombay Dyeing & Manufacturing.

Economic growth this quarter exceeded 8% and future projections are bullish. Advances in IT and a vast, educated English speaking workforce are creating sweeping reforms and changes. A boom in offshore companies establishing call centres and sofware development houses are providing comfortable careers for many.

As the standard of living rises, so does consumer demand. In a country of 1 Billion people, that’s a lot of pent up energy and enthusiasm for shopping and leisure.

Kolkata steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal knows what money can buy. The Indian billionaire spent a reported $US60 million on his daughter’s wedding last year. At another leading Indian wedding, the guest list topped 11,000, with a leading Bollywood Director capturing the whole event for a feature film.

All in all, incredible. Grab the brochure today.

Contact the India Tourism Bureau at www.incredibleindia.org