By IANS,
New Delhi : India is one of the top five ‘must see’ travel destinations in Asia Pacific, according to a recent survey conducted in the region.
The survey, which was carried out among 4,500 respondents across nine countries in the region, saw Australia topping the ‘must see’ list with 63 percent votes.
Singapore, which received 42 percent votes, came second, closely followed by New Zealand – whose landscape and natural beauty were highlighted in the Peter Jackson-directed trilogy “The Lord of The Rings” – receiving 41 percent.
The survey, conducted by the card giant Visa, saw India getting 27 percent of the votes that put it in the fifth slot preceded by Japan with 40 percent votes.
Santanu Mukherjee, Visa’s India country manager, said the country has witnessed growing inbound tourism in the past few years.
“In recent years, India has become an important destination on the global tourist map with more than two million foreign visitors between January and May 2008,” he said.
The inbound travel industry is set for a boom with the upcoming commonwealth games in the country and the aggressive ‘Incredible India’ campaign undertaken by the ministry of tourism.
According to the Annual Report of the Ministry of Tourism 2007-08, domestic tourism grew at 17.8 percent between 2005 and 2006 taking the annual domestic tourists from 380 million in 2005 to 462 million in 2006.