Officials are keen to welcome more flights to India to sustain its current boom as a tourist destination.
As India continues its development as one of the world’s emerging luxury travel destinations, officials in the country are becoming aware of the importance of a strong aviation infrastructure.
This relationship was highlighted by The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) recent study on the economic impact of Emirates’ operations on the Indian economy.
The Dubai-based carrier brought in 529,928 foreign tourists to the country during 2010-11, which led to a spend further spend of $1,153 million (£725.8 million), the study suggests.
“A well-managed civil aviation infrastructure and efficiently-run, competitive airlines are a must in today’s globalised world,” said Shekhar Shah, director general of NCAER.
Emirates like many other international airlines operate at three of India’s biggest airports – Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai and as such, this has seen these cities and the surrounding areas blossom as tourist hotspots.
Yet these three only account for 35 per cent of emirates’ expenditure in India, indicating that there are many more destinations waiting to be discovered.
Written by Nicholas Scott
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