At the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) in Cannes on 7 December, Visa’s Chief Economist Dr Simon Baptist unveiled card-spending insights indicating that households earning over US $100,000 in India will rise steeply through 2030—far out-pacing China, Japan and Europe.
The anonymised data show Indians allocate a disproportionately large share of overseas spend to retail, reinforcing perceptions of India as a high-value outbound market for luxury brands and destination-marketing organisations. Visa also highlighted that India’s 6 % GDP trajectory contrasts sharply with a cooling Chinese economy, suggesting sustained outbound demand even if other emerging markets soften.
![Visa Inc.’s ILTM data: India to overtake China as fastest-growing source of affluent travelers]()
For global mobility teams the findings matter because premium-leisure behaviour often filters into executive-travel expectations—think five-star accommodation, high-speed connectivity and flexible cancellation terms. Destinations courting MICE and incentive travel may need to tailor offers to Indian tastes such as extended family suites, Jain-vegetarian menus and shopping excursions.
The card network urged hoteliers to upgrade Wi-Fi and digital-payment acceptance, noting that AI-rich sectors are generating new wealth pockets in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune whose residents already book suite-class rooms abroad.
While not a policy change, the dataset gives quantitative backing to what airlines and visa-issuance statistics have hinted at for months: India is on track to become the next engine of high-spend global mobility, and infrastructure—from airport lounges to VAT-refund desks—must scale accordingly.
The anonymised data show Indians allocate a disproportionately large share of overseas spend to retail, reinforcing perceptions of India as a high-value outbound market for luxury brands and destination-marketing organisations. Visa also highlighted that India’s 6 % GDP trajectory contrasts sharply with a cooling Chinese economy, suggesting sustained outbound demand even if other emerging markets soften.
For global mobility teams the findings matter because premium-leisure behaviour often filters into executive-travel expectations—think five-star accommodation, high-speed connectivity and flexible cancellation terms. Destinations courting MICE and incentive travel may need to tailor offers to Indian tastes such as extended family suites, Jain-vegetarian menus and shopping excursions.
The card network urged hoteliers to upgrade Wi-Fi and digital-payment acceptance, noting that AI-rich sectors are generating new wealth pockets in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune whose residents already book suite-class rooms abroad.
While not a policy change, the dataset gives quantitative backing to what airlines and visa-issuance statistics have hinted at for months: India is on track to become the next engine of high-spend global mobility, and infrastructure—from airport lounges to VAT-refund desks—must scale accordingly.
