What differences between other Asian countries mentioned in the Mini-case are apparent? Tourist industry woos Indian travellers By Amy Kazmin in New Delhi The full-page, colour newspaper advertisement looks irresistible – top Bollywood stars romancing against the stunning backdrop of Swiss mountains and meadows.

Sponsored by Switzerland Tourism, the city of Lucerne and the Indian arm of Kuoni Travels, the advertisement urges Indians to ‘experience the magic’ themselves, by visiting the locations where the well-known Bollywood films were shot.

On the very next page of the same paper, Cox & Kings, the newly listed Indian travel company, has its own full-page advert promoting tours to a wide range of destinations, including the US, Europe, Egypt, Turkey, Australia and Kenya.

The duelling ads reflect the new competition among countries and global travel companies to catch the fancy of Indian travellers, who are increasingly using their new-found affluence to take overseas family holidays – once the preserve of a privileged few.

‘Indians are tired of seeing Manhattan only in Hindi films,’ says Suhel Seth, managing director of Counselage.

‘Today, he can be part of the scene by going there – so he is going. It’s no longer impossible. The average Indian is discovering a world beyond.’

Indian overseas travel still lags far behind the 45m Chinese travelling abroad each year. But the World Tourism Organisation estimates that by 2020, about 50m Indians will be taking foreign holidays each year. It may represent a tiny proportion of India’s population but it is a huge new market for the global travel industry.