(UNITED ARAB EMIRATES) The UAE stayed at the top of Indians’ outbound travel in 2024, drawing about 7.8 million visitors from India and capturing 25.2% of all Indian departures, according to the India Tourism Data Compendium 2025 published by India’s Ministry of Tourism. In total, Indian nationals made 30.8 million outbound trips last year, a strong 10.7% rise from 2023 that underscores how quickly overseas travel by Indians has rebounded after the pandemic slump.
The Ministry’s compendium, backed by Bureau of Immigration counts, shows the UAE’s firm lead over other destinations favored by Indian travelers. Saudi Arabia ranked second with 3.4 million Indian visitors, up from 3 million in 2023, while the United States 🇺🇸 held third place with roughly 2.1 million departures and a 6.9% share of the total. Together, the top 10 destinations—UAE, Saudi Arabia, United States 🇺🇸, Thailand, Singapore, United Kingdom, Qatar, Canada 🇨🇦, Kuwait, and Oman—accounted for 71.1% of all Indian outbound travel in 2024.
Trip purposes and travel profiles
The pull of the UAE reflects a blend of tourism appeal, strong business links, and deep family ties. According to the India Tourism Data Compendium 2025, Indian trips were mainly for:
- Leisure and recreation: 42.5%
- Visits to the Indian diaspora: 34.6%
- Business or professional travel: 14.9%
- Pilgrimage: 3.9%
- Education: 2.4%
- Other purposes: 1.4%
These patterns match long-standing routes between India and the Gulf, where large Indian communities and well-served air corridors support frequent traffic for family events, short breaks, and work.
Age and gender patterns point to a travel market driven by working adults:
- Travelers aged 25–34: 27.4% of departures
- Travelers aged 35–44: 24.5% of departures
- Men: 65.8% of travelers
- Women: 34.1% of travelers
This profile aligns with corporate trips, mid-career relocations, and family visits that often fall on working-age shoulders. It also mirrors booking data showing strong demand for direct flights, weekend city stays, and short-notice trips tied to business calendars and school breaks.
Historical growth and industry drivers
Behind the headline numbers lies steady, decades-long growth. Indian outbound travel climbed from 1.9 million in 1991 to 30.8 million in 2024, a CAGR of 8.7%.
Post-COVID, the trend has regained speed, helped by:
- Restored flight schedules
- Wider fare choices
- Easier trip planning
Industry trackers cited in the compendium point to the expansion of direct routes and the rise of online booking, which now accounts for close to half of all reservations. VisaVerge.com reports that the UAE’s position at the top also benefits from year-round events, robust hospitality supply, and a steady pipeline of conferences and exhibitions that draw Indian firms and attendees.
Travel patterns across key destinations
While the UAE dominated, India’s outbound map showed breadth. According to the compendium and Bureau of Immigration totals:
- Thailand: ~1.48 million Indian travelers
- Singapore: ~1.38 million
- United Kingdom: ~1.27 million
- Qatar: ~1.12 million
- Kuwait: ~0.84 million
- Oman: ~0.81 million
- Canada 🇨🇦: ~0.99 million
The spread suggests Indian travelers continue to favor near-to-mid-haul trips for short vacations and family visits, while still taking long-haul journeys to the United States 🇺🇸, the United Kingdom, and Canada 🇨🇦 for business, family events, and study.
Policy watchers view the UAE’s sustained lead as a marker of deep ties. The compendium’s breakdown highlights family networks as a core driver, while leisure keeps growing—indicating more Indian families choosing short hops to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and other Emirates. Business and professional travel remains a solid third driver, aligning with Indian companies’ presence in the UAE and the Emirates’ role as a hub for finance, trade, energy, and tech.
What’s fueling the growth — and what to watch next
Several forces appear to be pushing Indian outbound travel higher, as shown in the compendium and official datasets:
- Rising disposable incomes, making short international trips more affordable for middle-class households
- Greater global mobility after pandemic restrictions eased
- Improved aviation connectivity, including more non-stop flights and higher frequencies
- Online booking platforms, with close to half of bookings now made online
For the UAE specifically, these factors combine to create year-round demand: events calendars, shopping festivals, family attractions, expos, and conventions all support both leisure and business travel. VisaVerge.com notes that the Emirates’ wide range of hotels and serviced apartments also supports multi-generational travel common among Indian family groups.
The data also hints at destination diversification. Even as the UAE holds the lead, Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Singapore remain strong choices, and other regions have been gaining attention year over year. For airlines and airports, this means planning capacity not only for the heavy India–UAE trunk routes, but also for growing secondary city pairs that feed into these hubs.
Practical cues for travelers (2025 planning)
For Indian travelers looking ahead, the compendium’s breakdown suggests:
- If booking a short holiday, expect intense demand on India–UAE flights around long weekends and school breaks—book early for better schedules and prices.
- If your trip centers on family visits, watch for peak festival periods when fares rise across the Gulf network.
- For business travel, higher frequencies on major routes to the UAE enable more same-day or two-day trip options.
Implications for industry stakeholders
- Hospitality and retail: With leisure (42.5%) and diaspora visits (34.6%) leading, family-friendly pricing and amenities (apartment-style stays, late checkout, mall access, transit links) are key.
- Business facilities: The 14.9% business/professional share supports investment in conference facilities and weekday occupancy strategies.
- Airlines: The UAE’s strong draw favors dense schedules from major Indian metros and calls for more links from Tier-2 cities that generate steady diaspora and labor traffic. Carriers that balance high-frequency trunk routes with selective secondary routes can capture both price-sensitive and time-sensitive segments.
The compendium’s long-run growth figure—8.7% CAGR since 1991—suggests this is a continuation of a decades-long pattern, reinforced by India’s growing middle class and the UAE’s role as a close, well-connected destination. With 30.8 million outbound trips in 2024, even modest percentage gains translate into large absolute numbers, affecting flight planning, hotel staffing, and city services across the Emirates.
The compendium confirms—and quantifies—what travel companies on the India–UAE corridor have been reporting: demand has not only returned, it has widened.
The report highlights conditions that matter to travelers: reliable air links, clear entry processes, and stable demand drivers like family and business ties. For Indian families planning a first international trip, the combination of short flight times, large Indian communities, and a wide choice of attractions often makes the UAE the easiest choice.
Key markers analysts will watch
- Whether the UAE’s share remains near one-quarter as other destinations grow
- If Southeast Asian hubs gain share with new routes or promotions
- How the 25–44 age bands evolve as students and retirees add more trips
- Whether the male-to-female travel gap narrows with more women planning independent holidays
For now, the message is clear: the UAE leads India’s outbound travel market, both in raw numbers and in share, and does so across leisure, family, and business segments. With 7.8 million Indian visitors in 2024 and a 10.7% year-on-year rise in total Indian departures, the India–UAE corridor remains one of the most important in global travel.
The India Tourism Data Compendium 2025 is a government publication, and its figures draw on official sources, including the Bureau of Immigration. Readers can find more on Indian tourism statistics, policy, and market updates on the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India website.
This Article in a Nutshell
The India Tourism Data Compendium 2025 reports that 30.8 million outbound trips were made by Indian nationals in 2024, up 10.7% from 2023. The UAE led destinations with about 7.8 million Indian visitors, a 25.2% share, followed by Saudi Arabia (3.4 million) and the United States (approximately 2.1 million). Leisure and diaspora visits dominated trip purposes at 42.5% and 34.6% respectively, with business travel at 14.9%. Drivers of growth include restored flight schedules, expanded direct routes, wider fare choices, and rising online bookings. The compendium highlights implications for airlines, hospitality, and policymakers as demand widens across primary and secondary city pairs.
