Saturday, July 9 2005 13:03 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Beholding the beauty of the Taj Mahal from a chartered helicopter or booking an entire palace for accommodation - three in every hundred tourists worldwide have the luxury for such indulgence.

But India is nowhere on the priority list of these 'luxury tourists' who contribute to 20 per cent of the annual travel earnings worldwide.

Experts say the number of luxury tourists is fast expanding, but India has to do a lot to woo these tourists who let loose their purse strings more than others.

"India has great potential as a destination for the high spending tourists. Nature, culture, food, monuments - it has everything that these tourists want. However, India does not emerge as a favoured destination for these tourists", says Rabindra Seth, Tourism Expert and ITDC Panel Member.

There are several tour operators in the country who offer luxury tour packages to India. However, most of the times, they mean nothing more than business class travelling and five star accommodations.

"Luxury tourism means much more than business class travelling and five star accommodation. Luxury tourists have particular requirements and are people with time and money for their holidays", says Joy Mazumdar of Prudent Network India Tours, which offers customised luxury tour packages.

"Luxury tourists are usually singles, couples or families and not group travellers. They seek quality experiences and demand personal and confidential services. They often have requirements that, to the average person, seem absurd but which should be evaluated in relation to the amounts spent for their acquisition", he says.