Indians, 'Big Spenders' as Tourists

The picture modifies radically if as a substitute of average spend/tourist, the total spending by tourists of a specific country is considered. India is nowhere near the top. This is largely for the reason that in spite of globalization and increased disposable incomes, the number of Indians travelling abroad is comparatively inferior. China was ranked at number seven in its international tourism's top spenders list in 2005 by the UNWTO. China climbed up to number three position as its nationals spent a staggering $55 billion abroad, a 152 percent ump in 2010. For the last six years, Germany has held the top slot ($78 billion), followed by the US ($75 billion). The percentage amplified in spending by tourists of these two countries in 2005 as compared to 2010 was around 15-20 percent. Indian tourists were ranked number 25 in 2005 in this list.

Talking about the beneficiaries of tourism, the U.S. attracts top dollar with the maximum international tourism receipts amounting to $134.4 billion, Canadian tourists were the biggest spenders as they worked out $20.8 billion according to the U.S. department of commerce data shows that in 2010. Indian tourists held the number ninth rank and spent $4 billion. The Chinese spent a total of $5 billion and were at number seven. Chinese tourists spent a total of only $1.5 billion in the U.S. in 2005.

Even though Indians are budding as big spenders in foreign countries, on the flip side the tendency highlights the escalating income gap in the country. India lives in only the 134th slot in the 141-nation list of the UN Development Programme's Human Development Index. So even as at first glimpse, the trend may emerge out to be one of those unoriginal India-China-on-the-rise stories; the actual beneficiaries in this case are the highly developed economies.