India a Must See Destination

According to a survey conducted by Visa, one of the world’s largest retail electronic payment networks, India was voted one of the top five ‘must see’ destination by people living in the Asia-Pacific, including countries like Australia, Japan and South Korea.During the survey, over 4,500 people from nine Asia Pacific countries and territories were asked to share their top ‘must visit’ destinations in the region.Australia topped the list of the tourist hot spots with 63% of respondents voting for Down Under, followed by Singapore (42%), New Zealand (41%), Japan (40%) and India (27%). “In recent years, India has become an important destination on the global tourist map with more than two million foreigners visiting between January 2008 and May 2008,’’ said Santanu Mukherjee, country manager, South Asia, Visa Asia Pacific. “India has a variety of holiday options to offer—from heritage to adventure holidays and family vacations to relaxing getaways—and is becoming a desired destination for international tourists,’’ he said.Domestic tourism was also significant in the survey with more than half of the Indian respondents showing interest in exploring their own country. According to the 2007-08 report of the tourism ministry, domestic tourism grew at 17.8% from 2005 to 2006 (380 million domestic tourists in 2005 to 462 million in 2006).Among Indian respondents, the appeal across certain demographics was similar with 49% of men and 53% of women putting the country in their ‘must see’ list. Across the age groups of Indian respondents, more than 55% of those 35 years old and above selected the country as a ‘must see’ destination.