Q
As editor of two of India's leading travel magazines, Express Hospitality and Express TravelWorld, what trends are you reporting on these days?
A
One of the key common trends is the emergence of the budget segment in both travel and hospitality in conjuction with the rise and assertion of India's middle class. Mid-market hotels, cheaper destinations and falling airfares and low cost aviation. Another major trend is the shortage of professional staff across hospitality and travel. The predominance of the corporate class as an affluent segment for both the travel and hospitality industry is also considerable as is foreign investment into hospitality and liesure travel in India.



Q
 What statistics do you feel best represent the current state of Indian travel and tourism today?
A
 The fact that more Indians still travel by train in a single day than the number that travel by domestic airlines in an entire year and that India has fewer five star hotel rooms than downtown Manhattan present reason for both lament and palpable excitement given the potential upside in this vibrant, growing economy.



Q
 For those outside of India, what do you think they'd be most surprised to learn about Indian tourism?
A
India has more landmass and languages than all of Europe, a larger coastline and one of the world's strongest domestic tourism markets.



Q
 What are the biggest hurdles that India must overcome with respect to building its tourism market?  How should they be addressed?
A
Infrastructure and reliability of products and services, all adding up to overall credibility. The answer to how they can be addressed is not a short one and is best done by the deacons of the private sector and the ministry of tourism and aviation.



Q
 India is a big country with endless places to visit.  What are the most popular up-and-coming destinations?
A
 Up north, Chattisgarh, Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh are exciting prospects. Ladakh remains the most underrated and underdeveloped of India's attractions. Pending geo-political problems, Kashmir is as good as Continental Europe. Goa and Rajasthan are easily the vanguards of Indian tourism and are constantly reinventing themselves, Goa in particular, turning its attention away from the the beach towards inland, eco-tourism. Orissa is one to watch out for the future as it will soon be the largest steel producing state on the planet while Maharashtra is slowly beginning to position its virgin coastline as a Riviera of the East. North-East India remains largely unexplored and could capture the imagination of not just the world but millions of domestic Indian tourists as well.


Sheldon Santwan is the associate publisher and editor for two of India's leading travel industry magazines, Express Hospitality and Express TravelWorld. Both are based in Mumbai and are part of the Business Publications Division of Indian Express Newspapers.