PATA brings out ‘PATA Tourism Forecast 2009-2011’

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) recently published the ‘PATA Tourism Forecasts 2009-2011’ this month which states that the international tourists to India will exceed 5.5 million this year. In 2010 international arrivals to India will grow to over 5.9 million and in 2011 it will cross 6.3 million. The report also predicts that the average annual growth rate in international arrivals in India will be 5.85 per cent to India in the 2007-2011 period and 7.46 per cent for 2009-2010.

John Koldowski, Director, PATA’s Strategic Intelligence Centre opined that overall there is some cautious optimism in the travel and tourism industry in the Asia-Pacific region. He further added that the organisation’s forecast suggests that international arrivals for many destinations in the region will grow, despite the global economic downturn. While growth rates may slow down, international arrival numbers are expected to remain largely positive. According to a report in The Hindu Business Line by Sankar Radhakrishnan, as per the report, India, China and Thailand are among the largest emerging outbound travel markets in the region.