Although India may be finding it difficult to get to all that black money (of Indians) that is stashed in Swiss banks, good news for India is that money is flowing in through other means. Swiss tourists are turning out to be the biggest spenders in India.
As per a recent report by Hotels.com, it turns out that the Swiss tourists are the biggest spenders on accommodation in India. Visitors from Switzerland spent Rs 8,590 (around 145 dollars) a night this year. Visitors from Hong Kong and Italians were the next best spenders, whereas the French spent the least on accommodation.
Some might argue that India gets lot of visitors from the US and UK too, and although its correct, most of them are of Indian-origin, so they have lodging arrangements here and so most don’t usually stay in hotels.
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So why is it that Swiss tourists are flocking to India in big numbers?
The Indian tourism board may be doing their bit to promote the country, but I think its Bollywood that’s the best promoter for India. You may call it Bollywood Diplomacy.
Over the years, several Indian movies have been shot in the scenic locations of Switzerland; even Bollywood celebrities love Switzerland. Probably that’s the reason the Swiss have grown fond of India.
Need to provide better overall experience
There’s no doubt that there are several good hotels in India, but India also need to provide a better overall experience to the tourists, in terms of better infrastructure, transport facilities, cleanliness and so on. This can really give a boost to Tourism in India, as the sector has the potential to be a major revenue earner for India, like several other countries.
So whereas Indians & most Asians love the scenic locations of Switzerland, it seems Swiss tourists love the hotel rooms in India. I just hope that the Swiss spend time outside the hotel as well, because the true pleasure of India lies in exploring it, and not just staying in Hotels or resorts.
