tourism: USA vs India Changing leisure patterns

How is leisure in USA

Leisure is a frequent accessible phenomenon

Activities include

• short breaks

• recreation parks

• ressaurts

• national parks

• sports events

many specialized activities

Leisure contributes a respectable percentage of GDP

Leisure is greatly commercialised

How has leisure become such in the USA

As the USA developed many improvements to the workers' lives had occurred

• increased wages

• paid holidays

• less working hours

• decrease in transportation costs

• decrease in the cost of leisure activities due to bulk buy events

• improved transportation, high car ownership

• advertising

• booking systems

• help from government

Paid leave in USA

1 in 4 Americans has no paid leave, and an average American has just 16 days per year while in the European Union every worker has up to 4 weeks yearly

evidance for USA

Domestic leisure spending 870 billion $ in 2024

outdoor recreation 700 billion $ in 2024

370 million tourists in national parks → 29 billion $ in spending near national parks

The US Travel Association reports 1.9 billion leisure trips in 2024

Generally, over 95% of Americans participate in sports or leisure activities

While men work 10h more per week women compensate with houshol work, ultimately women spend 5h less per week on leisure than men

Growth of leisuretotal expenditure in USA

From 2007 to 2016, the expenditure has grown by 200 billion (830 billion in 2016), this is because Americans with their increasing wages prioritise the limited free time they have

How has tourism grown over years in USA

Generally, local tourism has stayed constant, any growth observed has been linked to international tourism

Correlation of sports activity and wealth in USA

The data suggests that wealthier individuals exercise more

How is leisure in India

Leisure in india is relatively limited

There is an increase in leisure due to the growing middle class

The main leisure activities involve

short breaks

pilgrimage

beach

heritage sites

how has india become such

Before, leisure was mainly accessible to high-income individuals

With the growing middle class due to an increase in wages, there is more disposable income

Improvement in transportation

decrease in plane transportation price, however, so far mainly local tourism

expansion of the online booking system

popularisation of travel and leisure

India evidance

2.9 billion local tourists in 2024

17% increase from 2023

230 million plane passengers in 2024

how is the development of leisre different

leisure industires ae already well established in the USA, while in India the industries are at the peak of expansion, supported by the 17% increase between 2024 and 2023 due to becoming more accesible to the growing middle class

How is spending power different among the two countries

Americans have strong spending power with high wages, in india while the growing middle class suggests that disposabkle income is increasing, the spening is still on the lower side and individuals are aiming at cheaper destinations and activities

How are the leisure destinations different

In the USA, leisure destinations are plentiful and specialised in various niches, such as skiing, national parks, resorts or cruise ships. In India, on the other hand, leisure is still mainly limited to primary resources such as beaches, heritage sites and pilgrimage

How is the amount leisure trips different

In the USA, the US Travel Association reports 1.9 billion leisure trips in 2024, while it is less than the 2.9 billion leisure trips in India. India is a much larger country with a population of over 1.4 billion, while the USA has a population of 340 million