Flight fare, food and local experiences are all factors that Indian travellers consider while choosing a destination, but distance pips them all. Seventy per cent of travellers choose nearby destinations, with the Middle East accounting for one-third, says a McKinsey report, “From India to the World: Unleashing the Potential of India’s Tourists”, released in November last year. The UAE has been leading the charts for the last couple of decades.
Across UAE, Indians represent a significant portion of a very diverse global tourist influx, constituting about 13.6% of visitors between 2021 and 2023,” says Iyad Rasbey, vice-president, Destination Tourism Development, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority. India has been one of the top 5 markets for Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven emirates of UAE, “with over 18% year-on-year growth in visitor numbers recorded in 2023”. While competing with established destinations like Dubai, Abu Dhabi etc