Brands
How young Indians redrew the map of overseas travel in 2025
BENGALURU: India’s international travel story in 2025 was written largely by the young and the independent. According to Niyo’s Travel Report 2025, nearly two-thirds of all overseas trips by Indians originated from New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai, underlining the continued dominance of India’s largest urban centres in global mobility.
The data points to a decisive generational shift. Gen Z and millennials accounted for nine in ten international trips, signalling the rise of a traveller who is confident, tech-savvy and focused on experiences rather than conventions. Solo travel emerged as the defining trend, making up 63.8% of all trips, far ahead of couples at 19.93%, families at 12.26% and groups at just 4.01%.
These travellers planned carefully despite their independent streak. Visa preparation, forex optimisation and cost efficiency featured prominently, reflecting a balance between spontaneity and financial prudence. Short-haul destinations across Asia and Central Asia dominated preferences. Thailand and the UAE led the list, accounting for 23.08% and 21.57% of trips respectively, followed by Georgia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the UK and Singapore.
Emerging destinations also saw strong momentum. Flight growth was highest for Thailand, the UAE, Malaysia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, while visa demand rose sharply for Dubai, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong and Indonesia. Together, these patterns suggest Indian travellers are looking beyond traditional Western destinations, favouring affordability, accessibility and cultural novelty.
Timing, too, has shifted. September replaced October as the peak travel month, with 41% of trips planned during the month. Visa applications mirrored this change, with 53.4% submitted in September 2025, up from 46.6% in October the previous year. The shift points to a more price-conscious and planning-oriented traveller, keen to avoid seasonal spikes.
Safety considerations gained prominence. In 2025, travellers purchased 11,979 travel insurance policies, a rise of 43% from 2024. Most policies were valued between ₹50,000 and ₹1,00,000. Insured travellers most frequently visited destinations such as Thailand, the UAE, France, Malaysia, Singapore, the UK, Italy, Germany and Switzerland.
Co-founder and CEO of Niyo, Vinay Bagri, said, “The new global Indian traveller is young, ambitious, and unapologetically independent. They plan with confidence, book smart, and prioritise visas, insurance, and cost efficiency while travelling abroad. At Niyo, we are committed to being the travel stack behind every Indian passport story, helping travellers save, secure, and simplify their journeys.”
Spending behaviour abroad also reflected changing priorities. Nearly half of all card usage went towards shopping at 47.28%, followed by dining at 20.69% and transport at 19.93%. Accommodation accounted for 9.09% of spending, while experiences made up a modest 3.01%. Smarter forex management paid dividends, with Niyo users collectively saving ₹153 crore during the year. Premium members alone contributed ₹1.44 crore in savings.
Taken together, the data paints a clear picture. India’s outbound traveller in 2025 is younger, more self-directed and financially astute, shaped by digital tools and global aspirations. As international mobility grows, this cohort is redefining not just where Indians travel, but how they plan, spend and experience the world.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
