 "India set to be in Skyscanner's top 3 revenue markets: CEO John Mangelaars")
As Indians take to globe-trotting, search aggregator and travel agency Skyscanner expects the country to become one of its biggest revenue markets in the coming few years as the travel boom continues.
“India is currently in the top 10 revenue markets for us. But I think it has the potential to be among the top three in the next couple of years. We are looking at building relationships with travel organisations as we continue to grow,” John Mangelaars, chief executive officer, Skyscanner told Business Standard.
A growing economy, rising aspirations, young population, and increasing infrastructure will aid this growth.
“The unique thing about India is that its growth is reaching a crossover point, and so domestic travel will continue to grow. People can increasingly afford to convert from a train ticket to a flight. There will also be more flights as more supply comes in and the number of airports increase,” said Mangelaars.
Search volume by Indian travellers on the metasearch platform has increased by 27 per cent in the last one year.
According to data indicated by the platform, 66 per cent of Indian travellers plan to take more trips abroad in 2025 as they did in 2024, while 58 per cent of Indian travellers are planning to budget more on their flights for their travel in 2025.
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“Going forward, I expect us to more than double our audience in India. Globally, we will have double our current audience in the next few years, but India will grow faster, putting us in the top 5 in terms of market share in three years,” he added.
Talking about sustained travel demand, Mangelaars said the country will have to identify its next engine of growth.
“The question becomes whether India is going to turn into something else from a service economy. Can you take the lead in production maybe? The government will have to keep finding new ways for the economy to grow, which will lead to more employment, more money in their hands and hence keep the travel boom going,” he added.