Niche Indian travellers dig up noveau tourist hotspots

CHENNAI: The Liberty Statue in New York, Petronas in Malaysia or Singapore's Bird Park again? "Not for me", says the well-traveled Indian tourist. Indians are going for newer tourist attractions and aren't happy visiting cliched travel attractions anymore.
Tourists now say they want to visit the same countries their friends did but want to come back with different experiences, thus forcing tour operations and tourism departments of different countries to dig up newer places for Indians to go to.
"Travellers want a particular, authentic experience that they can call their own and don't want to feel part of a mass experience" Mohit Gupta, Chief Business Officer-Holidays, MakeMyTrip said.
Tourists are, for instance, choosing to stay in a tree-house in Malaysia rather than a hotel in the Petronas Towers, in a light house at the edge of a cliff in California, caves in Turkey, ice hotels in Europe or windmills in England. "The island of Ko Chang Ko Tarutao and Ayuthaya in Thailand are newer attractions. Similan Islands in the western Andaman Sea are considered the best dive destination in Thailand. Away from overcrowded beaches of Kuta, Legian and Seminyak, Ungasan and the hidden beach in Bias Tugal are are Bali's current fad. Ungasan, a strip of beach on the southernmost point of Bali, is possibly the island's prettiest," Vishal Suri, CEO- Tour Operating, Kuoni India said. Singapore too is now promoting the MacRitchie Nature Trail, which is a gateway to nature reserves.
And those who are saying "BeenThere-DoneThat" to these evergreen destinations are now flying to newer countries. South Korea, Oman, Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia, Morocco, Reunion Islands Seychelles, Fiji, Tahiti, Borneo and Greece are now "in", tour operators say.
"This year, cruise vacations to Asia, Alaska, Caribbean, Bahamas, Mediterranean, Baltic's, Norwegian Fjords and even to the Arctic and Antarctica have have taken off in a big way," Shibani Phadkar, Senior Vice President - Leisure Outbound, Thomas Cook (India).
Travel to such fancy places easily cost about 25% more but Indians are willing to pay, tour operators say. "Customers are willing to spend extra because they realize that the exclusivity would come at a price. Also, the purchasing power of these customers has increased over the years, which makes them perceive travel as an experience rather than a commodity," Neelu Singh, COO, Ezeego1.com said.