© Euromonitor International PASSPORT 1TRAVEL AND TOURISM: CITY TRAVEL BRIEFING - MUMBAI

INTRODUCTION

Key findings

High population Mumbai is the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan population of 20.5 million.

Lucrative investment Destination

The city is the most promising real estate investment destination in Asia Pacific, with a very strong outlook.

Luxury destination Most of the hotels in Mumbai offer world class services, and cater mainly to business travellers and high-end leisure tourists.

Risk of terror attacks Mumbai faced terror attacks in July 2011, which resulted in a slowdown in the inflow of tourists during the months of August and September.

International and national conferences

Mumbai hosts the highest number of international conferences in India, and this attracts business tourists. The city is also well-known for organising leisure events, which attract international and domestic tourists.

Financial and commercial capital

India’s most important stock exchanges are located in Mumbai. These include the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

Expensive real estate Mumbai is ranked among the top 10 cities in the world for the cost of office property. Average housing costs are also among the highest in India.

Film city – “Bollywood” Mumbai is referred to as the Bollywood capital, as it is home to most of the key players involved in film-making, including production houses, producers, directors and actors.

© Euromonitor International PASSPORT 2TRAVEL AND TOURISM: CITY TRAVEL BRIEFING - MUMBAI

STRENGTHS

OPPORTUNITIES

WEAKNESSES

THREATS

As the financial capital of India, Mumbai attracts both inbound and domestic business tourists. Most international and national financial institutions have key offices in the city.

Business hub

As the international gateway to southern and western India, Mumbai acts as a transit hub for foreign tourists hoping to explore the beaches of Goa or the Kerala Backwaters.

Gateway to western and southern India

Cheaper means of public transportation are not conducive to tourist travel as they are often crammed with local commuters.

Traffic jams due to vehicle congestion and road construction also deter tourists from exploring the city

Public transportation and infrastructure

Mumbai is strongly positioned as a luxury destination, making it less accessible to budget travellers and more vulnerable during times of economic crisis, when tourists are more likely to seek budget destinations.

Inadequate offer for budget travellers

With India’s economy expected to continue growing at a rapid rate, Mumbai will have a higher proportion of wealthy Indians willing to travel overseas for vacations.

Booming economy

Mumbai is used as a transit hub by international tourists visiting Goa, and could promote Marine Drive, and other famous shopping areas, such as Colaba, to attract these tourists.

Transit Hub

Its neighbouring state of Gujarat is making substantial investments to lure MICE travellers.

Aurangabad is overhauling its monuments, airports and roads to attract leisure tourists.

Competing destinations

As the financial capital of India, Mumbai continues to be heavily reliant on business tourists, both domestic and international. Any financial slowdown is likely to hit tourism significantly.

Heavy reliance on business tourists

SWOT: Mumbai KEY FACTS

© Euromonitor International PASSPORT 3TRAVEL AND TOURISM: CITY TRAVEL BRIEFING - MUMBAI

Mumbai Arrivals by Country 2010/2011

‘000 trips 2010 2011% Growth

2010/2011

Western Europe 761 780 2.58

North America 469 489 4.24

East Asia 149 170 13.59

Africa 163 175 6.89

West Asia 155 165 5.98

Southeast Asia 95 106 11.09

Australasia 184 201 8.76

Eastern Europe 47 51 8.03

South Asia 141 146 3.09

Central and South America

60 68 12.83

TOTAL 2,224 2,349 7.02

A total of 2.4 million tourists travelled to Mumbai in 2011, compared to 2.2 million in 2010.

Growth in 2011 was around 7%, which is comparatively lower than growth in 2010.

The major causes for lower growth were the terrorist attacks in July, which impacted both inbound and domestic tourism.

The UK and the US remained the largest source countries, with around 17% of arrivals in 2011. Historically, these two countries have led arrivals; however, they have lost share year-on-year.

East Asia and Southeast Asia were the two fastest growing source markets in 2011.

Mumbai is the starting point for tourists exploring central and south India.

Mumbai hosted three matches during the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011, including the final, which attracted many tourists.

Inbound arrivals suffer lower growth after the terrorist attacksTOURISM FLOWS

© Euromonitor International PASSPORT 4TRAVEL AND TOURISM: CITY TRAVEL BRIEFING - MUMBAI

Business and MICE arrivals Leisure destination

Business arrivals to Mumbai account for about 70% of the total. These are driven in part by trade events and conferences taking place throughout the year.

Mumbai is also a key business hub and home to a number of national and international companies’ regional headquarters, such as Aditya Birla Group and Reliance Industries.

The city is well equipped with business hotels and convention centres to cater to business tourists.

The US and UK lead business arrivals in Mumbai. Most business travellers from the US visit Chennai and Bangalore, the IT hubs.

Leisure arrivals to Mumbai are driven by the tourist attractions available in the Mumbai and Aurangabad circle. These range from heritage sites, including the Ellora caves, to religious sites, such as Shirdi.

Mumbai is also popular for shopping, with a number of shopping malls in the city, where many major fashion, electronics and other brands are found. South Mumbai, including Colaba, is well known for street shopping and therefore attracts leisure tourists.

Business leads visitor demand TOURISM FLOWS

© Euromonitor International PASSPORT 5TRAVEL AND TOURISM: CITY TRAVEL BRIEFING - MUMBAI

The number of domestic tourists in Mumbai has been growing continuously over the years, in line with the growth of domestic tourism in the country.

The number of domestic tourists grew by a CAGR of 10% between 2006 and 2011, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9% during the period 2011-2016

The 2011 Cricket World Cup contributed to growth in domestic trips. The leading cricket stadium hosted 33,000 spectators and over 70% were domestic tourists.

Mumbai has a higher number of domestic business trips than Delhi by virtue of being the financial capital of the country, and business accounts for the majority share of total tourism.

Mumbai attracts many domestic leisure tourists because of the temperate climate, proximity to the ocean as well as to Goa, and its status as the film capital. Tourists from north India visit Mumbai especially during the winter months of December and January

Domestic tourism is fast growingTOURISM FLOWS