With tourist arrivals in India touching the 7.25 million already this year, the country’s forex earnings from foreign tourists and NRIs and PIOs is mounting.
The country is a favourite haunt for foreign shoppers who are looking for the exotic and the unusual to carry back home.
NRIs visit India for 25 to 45 days on an average, and shopping
takes up 46% of their expense, splurging over Rs. 2000 per night.
Even those staying with relatives tend to spend on leisure heavily.
A paper by the tourism ministry reveals interesting facts on
NRI visits to India.
The number of NRIs traveling alone (59%)
is more than twice those visiting India with their spouses (25%).
On the preferred mode of travel, road and rail (65%) score over
air travel (35%) The reasons for travel within India are balanced
between leisure and religion, with 30% making trips for recreation
and 26% making pilgrimages.
NRIs shop for everything Indian - right from condiments and
spices, to handicrafts and garments. Carrying back gifts for
friends in their home countries, they serve as brand ambassadors
for India, generating interest and goodwill, which unwittingly
promotes tourism.
India is also the NRIs resort for quality and inexpensive medical
treatment. States like Gujarat and Maharashtra are visited by
more than 1000 NRIs every year who avail of the world-class health
facilities at a fraction of the costs in the USA or UK.
