Travel and tourism in Europe is entering a new phase: where big numbers of Asian tourists visit new destinations. This Asian wave of travel is led by India and China. India is a huge market for travel and tourism. This market potential hinges on the increasing numbers of Indian middle class, currently estimated at 300 Million. The Indian middle class is young, well educated and moving upwards. They are developing a interest in traveling abroad and visiting destinations around the world. Around 6.5 Million Indians traveled abroad in 2005 and this number is accelerating at 15% per year. Estimates for 2007 are that 8.5 million will visit another country.

While some research has been conducted about the Indian Outbound Tourist, most of these reports mainly contain general statistics, growth figures and future forecasts. As Indians develop a clear desire to visit other countries, it is important to move beyond statistics. Indian society and lifestyles are changing rapidly and domain knowledge about these Indian consumer needs to be updated and made relevant to marketers.

Inside Looking Out™ is a research platform, developed by Abroader Consultancy India Pvt. Ltd., to provide information values, trends and changes in Indian consumer behaviour. The research is aimed at tourism organizations and destinations that wish to better understand the Indian outbound traveler. A combination of research activities is designed to provide in-depth insights into the motivations of Indian travelers, both consumer and business. Outcomes can be used to make a value-based market segmentation of the Indian Outbound market. Further, Inside Looking Out™ helps organizations or destinations to (re)position their brands and develop ideas that cater to the (changing) needs of the Indian market.

The research aims to answer the following questions:

• Why do Indian people travel?
• What motivates them, what is the value of travel in their lives?
• How important is travel for Indians, now and in the near future?
• What do they foresee as (behavioral) changes during their travels?
• How do they select a destination? What is important for them?
• What exactly are they looking for when they travel?
• When are they satisfied and when would they return/revisit?

  Research Approach

Inside Looking Out™ is a multi-client research platform and uses a combination of research techniques:

• Desk research in India
• In-depth personal interviews
• Focus groups session

Inside Looking Out™ can be used as a research tool to develop positioning or communication strategies for the Indian market. It is also possible to conduct this research periodically and in other cities. Clients, participating in the research can also include a few extra questions related to their specific (destination) brand, service or proposition.

Inside Looking Out™ is designed as a multi-client research tool. Only clients who sign on before the starting date of the research will get access to these results, reports and presentations. Clients have the opportunity to include a set of customized questions. A maximum of 5 questions can be offered per client. These questions will be included in the final reporting and results are held confidential.

  Research Sample

Indians with a clear desire to travel to Europe soon will participate in the research. Validating question: “are you, alone or with your family, for business or leisure, planning to travel to Europe within the next 2 years?”. If the answer is yes, then they can participate in the research.

Two copies of a comprehensive report will be provided in English. In this report, the research results and methods are detailed. The report includes an executive summary and can also be made available as a PDF file. A personal presentation explaining the findings and methods can be made in Europe (to be scheduled and billed separately). Further, recommendations can be made in terms of brand positioning, market segmentation, product development and communication strategies.

Inside Looking Out™ will be conducted from November 2007 to February 2008. The first results will be available by April 2008. Final reporting is scheduled for May 2008 and presentations at client’s locations can be scheduled between June & September 2008. After the first results of the research are reported, a continuous “monitor” research will be established.

Please contact pratap@abroader.com for more details

  Interested

Abroader Consultancy India Pvt. Ltd. offers project management, market research and training services to clients in the tourism, education and food sectors in India. Abroader Consultancy was established in Amsterdam and is based out of Bangalore since 2000. For more information on our activities, see www.abroader.com