Indian destinations risk losing market share if decisions continue to be driven by instinct rather than real-time data, warned Olivier Ponti, Vice President – Intelligence Marketing, ForwardKeys (Amadeus).
Presenting insights on global travel behaviour, Ponti revealed that 57 percent of European travellers currently transit through hubs rather than fly direct, pointing to major connectivity gaps that Indian destinations are yet to capitalise on.
He stressed that air access remains the first filter in destination choice. “If people cannot get to your destination easily, they will not come—no matter how strong the brand is,” he said.
Ponti also highlighted untapped opportunities in the US low-season travel window, suggesting that algorithm-led analysis can help Indian states smooth seasonality and attract higher-value travellers.
Rather than tracking excessive indicators, he advised tourism boards to focus on decision-oriented dashboards, built layer by layer, ensuring that data remains actionable for on-ground teams.
The remarks underline a growing shift in global tourism strategy—where connectivity intelligence, booking patterns and traveller behaviour analytics are now as important as traditional marketing budgets.
