Expedia aims to tap mobile travel bookings in India

Global online travel agency Expedia is looking to cash in on opportunities arising out of a surge in mobile travel in India, one of its top 3 markets in Asia.
"India is a very important market for Expedia and is amongst the top 3 markets in terms of size and growth in Asia. Yes, with the online travel market expected to reach USD 13 billion by 2017 we can expect more growth in this segment," AirAsia Travel Expedia Pte CEO Jonathon Sinclair Neal told PTI.
Identifying growth drivers in the country, he said: "Mobile travel in India is surging with gross bookings up 153 per cent year over year to USD 707 million in 2014 helping fuel the mobile market."

Neal further said that India's outbound traffic is growing faster as the young generation is exploring new destinations.
"Outbound from India is growing faster and the UNWTO predicts that India will account for 50 million outbound tourists by 2020," he said.
Initiatives taken up by the government such as e-visa and visa on arrival has helped in drawing more visitors to the country, he added.

"The Indian government has done fantastic job of opening inbound travel by providing visa on arrival. We look inbound and outbound travel number as healthy one," Neal said.
The company ranks India as its top three markets in Asia in terms of size and growth along with China and Japan.

Expedia will spend substantially for promotions focusing the digital media to target the young generation.
"Here in India, 65 per cent population is below 35 and so we certainly see a considerable growth driven by the younger generation, which has an access to mobile," Neal said.
Expedia has grown immensely in the Indian market, owing to the innovative products, competitive offers and marketing campaigns witnessing a consistent growth, he said.