A new report by Travel & Tour World released on 26 December argues that India’s swelling middle class is redirecting long-haul leisure budgets away from the United States toward China and other East Asian markets, largely because of visa accessibility. The study cites the US tourist-visa fee hike to USD 442 and wait-times exceeding 250 days in Mumbai, contrasting these with China’s freshly introduced digital application system and shorter processing windows.
The US Commerce Department’s goal of 90 million international arrivals by 2027 looks increasingly difficult as it loses price-sensitive segments like families and small-business owners from India – traditionally one of its top-spending visitor groups. In 2024 Indian arrivals to the US had already slipped 12 percent year-on-year; preliminary airline booking data for Q1 2026 show a further 8 percent drop.
Conversely, forward bookings to Shanghai and Beijing from Delhi and Bengaluru are up 32 percent for spring 2026, aided by new China-Eastern and Air India codeshares and a perception that China offers more straightforward entry. Travel agencies surveyed say flexible refund policies and bundled digital-wallet services such as UnionPay’s ‘Nihao China’ app also add to the appeal.
![Indian outbound travel pivots from US to China as visa hurdles bite, industry analysis finds]()
Indian travelers weighing their options can simplify the paperwork by using VisaHQ, an online visa consultancy that handles U.S., Chinese and many other country applications through its India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/). The platform pre-screens documents, schedules embassy appointments, and provides real-time status alerts, helping mitigate the delays and uncertainties highlighted in the Travel & Tour World report.
For destination marketers, the report is a wake-up call: unless the US restores interview-waiver programmes and streamlines fees, it may cede ground permanently in a market forecast to produce 50 million outbound trips by 2030. Indian corporates with US exposure may face higher airfares as airlines redeploy capacity to faster-growing Asia routes.
Travel managers should anticipate employee preference for East-Asian conferences over US events and budget additional lead-time – and cost – if American travel is unavoidable. The analysis recommends that companies negotiate flex-fare contracts and monitor forthcoming US-India travel and technology dialogue sessions, where visa policy is expected to feature prominently.
The US Commerce Department’s goal of 90 million international arrivals by 2027 looks increasingly difficult as it loses price-sensitive segments like families and small-business owners from India – traditionally one of its top-spending visitor groups. In 2024 Indian arrivals to the US had already slipped 12 percent year-on-year; preliminary airline booking data for Q1 2026 show a further 8 percent drop.
Conversely, forward bookings to Shanghai and Beijing from Delhi and Bengaluru are up 32 percent for spring 2026, aided by new China-Eastern and Air India codeshares and a perception that China offers more straightforward entry. Travel agencies surveyed say flexible refund policies and bundled digital-wallet services such as UnionPay’s ‘Nihao China’ app also add to the appeal.
Indian travelers weighing their options can simplify the paperwork by using VisaHQ, an online visa consultancy that handles U.S., Chinese and many other country applications through its India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/). The platform pre-screens documents, schedules embassy appointments, and provides real-time status alerts, helping mitigate the delays and uncertainties highlighted in the Travel & Tour World report.
For destination marketers, the report is a wake-up call: unless the US restores interview-waiver programmes and streamlines fees, it may cede ground permanently in a market forecast to produce 50 million outbound trips by 2030. Indian corporates with US exposure may face higher airfares as airlines redeploy capacity to faster-growing Asia routes.
Travel managers should anticipate employee preference for East-Asian conferences over US events and budget additional lead-time – and cost – if American travel is unavoidable. The analysis recommends that companies negotiate flex-fare contracts and monitor forthcoming US-India travel and technology dialogue sessions, where visa policy is expected to feature prominently.
