A Mumbai business family recently booked all 13 villas at the Maldives' Soneva Secret, where nightly rates for a single villa range from about $3,300 for entry-level hideaways to over $15,000 for premier overwater and floating villas.
The multi-generational holiday included a chartered seaplane timed to the family's arrival, personal butlers, private chefs, bespoke beach dinners, yacht excursions, guided snorkelling trips, daily spa treatments and wellness practitioners on call. Every detail was tailored to the family's preferences, while the entire resort remained exclusively theirs, ensuring complete privacy for grandparents, parents, children and great-grandchildren.
What could easily be a scene from Dil Dhadakne Do, Luxury hotel executives say requests from Indians to buy out entire resorts for extended family holidays are no longer exceptional.
Across the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand and even Europe, affluent Indians are travelling in larger family groups, spending more on exclusive-use villas and personalized experiences, and quietly reshaping how some of the world's most expensive hotels are being designed. “I don't think there's any business in luxury that doesn't have India in its priority list,” said Joanna Flint, chief executive of the Maldives-based ultra-luxury resort operator.
Big fat Indian holiday
India is among Soneva Secret's fastest-growing markets, recording double-digit growth and ranking among its top three source markets, she said. Improved connectivity has also helped, with around 60 weekly flights connecting major Indian cities to the island nation, while private jet arrivals have risen 38% year-on-year over the past two years.
India's growing stature in the global travel market is backed by compelling numbers. A 2024 report by Nangia Andersen and FICCI, titled Navigating Horizons: The Rise and Future of Indian Outbound Tourism, projected that the country's outbound tourism market would nearly triple to $55.39 billion by 2034.
“The Middle East war not withstanding, the bigger long-term question for hotel groups is not what happens to one summer in the Gulf, but how hotels position themselves for the next wave of outbound travellers, particularly from India,” Chris Hartley, CEO of Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), an alliance of independent hotel brands, representing more than 45 brands and over 850 hotels worldwide told Mint in an interview on 30 March.
Hartley said India remains one of the world's most compelling outbound travel markets because of its enormous headroom. “If you look at China today, which is about $140 billion in outbound spend, and India is about $35-40 billion, you've still got this $100 billion gap which is going to close,” he added.
Bangkok-headquartered Minor Hotels, which operates brands including plush resorts such as Anantara and Avani, said the country has become one of its fastest-growing outbound markets across Asia, Europe, and West Asia. “Today's affluent Indian traveller is seeking depth over volume,” said Dillip Rajakarier, group CEO of Minor Hotels and Minor International.
“We are seeing growing demand for bespoke, highly personalized experiences, from private excursions to curated cultural encounters and exclusive access that creates a stronger connection to a destination.”
Indian business across Minor's European portfolio grew 7% in 2025, while wedding-related business from the country at Anantara Villa Padierna in Spain's Marbella jumped more than 230% year-on-year in 2025. Vienna, Austria, recorded growth of over 90%, while Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Seychelles continue to attract rising numbers of affluent Indian travellers.
Rather than developing India-specific offerings, Minor is investing in flexible experiences that can be personalized around families, wellness, culture and gastronomy. Demand for multi-bedroom villas and interconnected accommodation has risen sharply as larger family groups increasingly travel together.
Desi bling
Aman, the Swiss-headquartered ultra-luxury hospitality brand, is witnessing a similar trend. Jihane Mamouri, vice-president of global sales at the company, said India has become one of the company's most strategic source markets as affluent travellers seek privacy, wellness and meaningful experiences rather than traditional luxury.
“Luxury is increasingly being defined by privacy and exclusivity rather than material indulgence alone,” she said, adding that Indian families are increasingly booking larger villas and residences for milestone celebrations, while younger affluent travellers are prioritizing wellness, cultural discovery and slower, more intentional travel.
For Colombo-based Jetwing Hotels, one of Sri Lanka's largest home-grown hospitality groups, the biggest shift is not just in arrivals but in spending. “We have seen a clear increase in ultra-luxury Indian travellers in recent years,” said its director, Hashan Cooray.
“What stands out is not just the growth in arrivals from India, but the level of spending. What accounted for less than 5% of our nationality mix before the pandemic, today, represents around 25% year-round, which gives a good indication of how much the luxury Indian segment has grown for us,” he said.
For both Jetwing Saman Villas and Jetwing Lighthouse, the country is now consistently among our top three source markets. He said that a South Indian guest, after returning repeatedly to the company's Saman Villas, recently booked all 27 suites for three nights to host a private birthday celebration.
Cooray said demand for private villas, exclusive-use buyouts, customized itineraries and multi-generational holidays had grown significantly.
Even United Hospitality Management (UHM), the Dubai-based hotel management company, said the profile of Indian outbound travellers has changed dramatically. “Business out of India is going to explode. Indians are not going to Dubai looking for an Indian experience anymore. They're looking for Nobu, iconic restaurants and experiences they can't have at home,” said CEO Carlos Leal.
For Soneva, however, the opportunity goes beyond rooms to a changed product itself. “Affluent Indian travellers have become markedly different since the pandemic. They're requiring privacy, security, and, in many cases, private jet arrivals,” Flint added.