Mumbai based Kevin Mehta of Kevin India Company who are manufactures and merchants traders of pigments and pigments powders, expressed his excitement on receiving the prestigious award from the Governor, "We are exporting to around 48 countries worldwide, though the Pandemic was a stumbling block, Kevin India has adhered to prompt services and shipments in time that has won the hearts of our clients. We export over 160 products like solvent dyes and basic dyes that are used in textiles, inks, leather and soap industries. We are entering the argo-chemical and pharmaceutical exports too this year."
Having exported pigments of over 100 crores the last year, Kevin's Company mainly exports to UK, US, Philippines and even to China where they ship Phthalocyanine pigments. They are setting up plants in Ankleshwar and Vapi in Gujarat having a capacity of 150 metric tonnes of green and 150 metric tonnes of blue.
Amongst the Western Region Awardees of the Federation, it felicitated top performing exporters from the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
The Exports Excellence Awards for the 8th & 9th Set were conferred by Shri Ramesh Bais, Hon’ble Governor of Maharashtra; Shri Deependra Singh Kushwah, Development Commissioner, Chairman (MAITRI) and Export Commissioner, Govt of Maharashtra; Shri Ashwani Kumar, President, FIEO and Shri Paresh Mehta, Regional Chairman, FIEO (WR) along with Dr Ajay Sahai, Director General & CEO, FIEO.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Ramesh Bais, Hon’ble Governor of Maharashtra stated, "Total exports of Goods and Services in the financial year 2024-25 started with a strong growth of 6.88%, which is estimated to be US$ 64.56 billion in April 2024, as against US$ 60.40 billion in April 2023.” The Hon’ble Governor of Maharashtra, stated, “The state of Maharashtra is one of the largest contributors to India's exports and is continuously increasing its share in world trade through export promotion and trade facilitation initiatives. Maharashtra is the second highest exporting state from India with exports worth Rs 5,56,400.42 crore i.e. 15.37% in the financial year 2023-24.” He further mentioned the need of skill development in the field of Exports and stated the need of Universities and Education Institutes to develop educational programmes in this sector”.
Paresh Mehta, Regional Chairman (WR), FIEO mentioned, “Awards are always a great source of inspiration and motivation for a company irrespective of big or small," while FIEO President Ashwani Kumar stated in an optimistic note, “We have started this financial year on a positive note and it is a remarkable achievement looking into global headwinds flowing from Ukraine & Russia War, further Hamas-Israel conflict, crisis in the Red Sea and related logistics challenges and high interest.”
- Paresh B. Mehta
From Backpackers to Bon-Vivants – and everything in between – Indian travellers are not just reshaping the realm of domestic tourism but also commanding an increasingly important role in the ambit of international travel, leaving no corner of the globe too out of reach. Taking insights from travel searches by its 100M+ annual active users, MakeMyTrip has put together some of the top behaviours of Indian travellers it the first edition of its India Travel Trends Report.
Insights include where, when and how India travels, top trends from millions of journeys – both from a national and a region-wise perspective. Understanding the evolving travel behavior of Indian travelers is essential to help shape the future of tourism, both domestically and globally. Here are the highlights of India Travel Trends:
As India emerges as a formidable force in the tourism sector, these insights can help bridge the demand and supply gaps in the travel and hospitality space. This means crafting policies, identifying destinations, and creating experiences that resonate with the traveller’s unique travel preferences and aspirations. Recognizing and catering to each traveller’s diverse behaviour will not only enhance travel experiences but also contribute significantly to the growth and development of the tourism industry.”
Some Key Insights from the report are as below –
WHERE INDIA TRAVELS
Number of people taking more than 3 trips per year has grown by 25% in 2023 as compared to 2019.
Tier-2 and tier-3 cities are embracing spiritual journeys, with searches for destinations with or
around religious spots growing 97% in the last two years.
Searches for Ayodhya grew by 585%, Ujjain by 359% and Badrinath by 343% in 2023 as compared to
2022.
Weekend getaways continue to curry favour with Indian travellers – Searches for Jim Corbett grew
by 131% in 2023 as compared to 2022; Ooty and Munnar are other favourites in this context.
30% all international travel searches from India are for Dubai, Bangkok and Singapore while London,
Toronto and New York are the most searched long-haul destinations.
Searches for emerging international destinations grew by multi-fold in 2023 – hot favourites include
Hong Kong, Almaty, Paro, Baku, Da Nang and Tbilisi.
WHEN, WITH WHOM AND HOW INDIA TRAVELS
Family vs Solo - Family travel bookings surged by 64% in 2023 as compared to 2022, followed by solo
traveller booking growth at 23% for the same comparative period.
Flight booking preferences –
o 50% of all domestic flyers pick flights between 9am and 6pm irrespective of destination or
origin.
o A significant portion of travel bookings in India are made spontaneously, with 46% of
domestic flights booked less than a week before the travel date. In contrast, about half of all
international bookings are made at least two weeks in advance.
o Only one-third of international bookings are made more than a month before the travel
date, suggesting a flexible approach to international travel planning among Indian travellers.
o Women prefer to pre-book window seats, while men pick aisle seats.
o Tomato Cucumber Cheese Lettuce Sandwich is the most ordered in-flight meal on domestic
flights.
Accommodation booking preferences –
o 56% of domestic leisure hotel bookings on the platform are made less than a week before
the day of travel.
o 33% of international hotel bookings are made at least 30 days before the date of travel.
o Alternative accommodations on the platform recorded 24% growth in bookings in 2023
o For Hostels and Apartments, the preference is for those less than INR 2,500 per night but for
Villas, it is higher.
o Close to 20% of family travellers searched for properties with tariffs over INR 10,000 per
night.
Payment Preference – UPI is the most preferred payment method for booking travel, making close
to 40% of all transaction types, followed by use of credit cards. Credit card is the most used payment
mode for high value transactions such as for booking international hotels and flights. This can be
attributed to the benefits associated with credit card payments.
The gift of travel – Wedding gift cards in the denominations of INR 5000 and 10000 are the most
gifted. 1 out of 2 travel gift cards being purchased are being gifted as wedding shagun.
City-specific insights
DELHI-SPECIFIC INSIGHTS AT A GLANCE
- Rishikesh, Amritsar are some of the most searched destinations
- Travellers prefer flights between 12 PM and 6PM
- Travellers over-indexed on booking domestic flights less than a week ahead of travel date
- Travellers showcase higher intent for pre-booking meals while traveling International
- Northern states have a higher preference for Hostels
- Almost half of all domestic travellers book a room with breakfast and a major meal
MUMBAI-SPECIFIC INSIGHTS AT A GLANCE
- Goa, Pune, are some of the most searched destinations
- Travellers prefer flights between 12 PM and 6PM
- Travellers showcase higher intent for pre-booking meals while traveling International
- Maharashtra has the highest share of domestic hotel searches overall – highest preference for
Villas
- More than half of domestic hotel bookers book room with breakfast; internationally they prefer
room only
KOLKATA -SPECIFIC INSIGHTS AT A GLANCE
- Digha, Mandarmani are some of the most searched destinations
- Travellers have a higher proclivity to book flights over 3 months in advance for both international
and domestic
- Travellers have a higher preference for booking in-flight meals for domestic
- Eastern states have a higher preference for Hotels
- Approximately half of travellers prefer room only for domestic hotel bookings
- 60% of international hotel bookers prefer room with breakfast
CHENNAI-SPECIFIC INSIGHTS AT A GLANCE
- Madurai, Pondicherry are some of the most searched destinations
- Travellers prefer flights between 6PM to 12AM
- Travellers over indexed when it comes to booking international flights 30 days in advance
- Travellers most actively pre-select seats for domestic and international flights
- Travellers have a higher preference for booking in-flight meals for domestic
- Southern states have a higher preference for alternative accommodations
- Maximum preference for room only bookings for international hotels
BANGALORE-SPECIFIC INSIGHTS AT A GLANCE
- Mysore, Coorg, Mangalore are some of the most searched destinations
- Travellers prefer flights between 12AM - 6AM
- Travellers most actively pre-select seats for international flights
- Travellers have a higher preference for booking in-flight meals for domestic
- Bangalore has a higher preference for villas while traveling domestically
HYDERABAD-SPECIFIC INSIGHTS AT A GLANCE
- Vishakhapatnam, Tirupati are some of the most searched destinations
- Travellers prefer flights between 6AM and 3PM
- Travellers over-indexed on booking domestic flights in less than a week and international flights 30
days ahead of travel date
- Travellers most actively pre-select seats for domestic flights
- Southern states have a higher preference for alternative accommodations
- Approximately half of domestic travellers prefer room only
