Indians Cut Overseas Travel Spending by $212 Million in March

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Indians sharply cut back on overseas travel spending in March, with remittances for foreign trips dropping by more than $212 million from the previous month, according to Reserve Bank of India data.

The fall in outbound travel expenditure came amid rising oil prices linked to the Middle East conflict and persistent pressure on rupee, even as travel remained the single largest component of outward remittances under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS).

In March, travel-related remittances fell to $1.09 billion from $1.3 billion in February and $1.65 billion in January.

The decline came at a time when the West Asia conflict pushed oil prices higher and weakened rupee to record lows.

Amid the situation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to cut down on foreign travel and adopt measures such as carpooling.

Lower overseas travel spending could reduce foreign exchange outflows and help ease pressure on rupee.

According to the RBI’s data on outward remittances by resident individuals, travel continued to account for the largest share of money sent abroad under the LRS in March.

Total remittances during the month stood at $2.59 billion.

The RBI tracks overseas spending across categories including travel, studies abroad, maintenance of close relatives, overseas investments, and property purchases.

Under the LRS framework, resident individuals, including minors, can remit up to $250,000 in a financial year for permitted current or capital account transactions.

Within the travel segment, the biggest component remained the ‘other travel’ category, which covers holiday spending and international credit card settlements.

Indians spent $623.05 million under this category in March, accounting for nearly 57 per cent of total travel-related remittances during the month.

Expenditure linked to education travel, including hostel and fee payments, stood at $450.16 million.

Business travel, pilgrimage, and overseas medical treatment together accounted for $21.39 million.

The data also showed a rise in remittances meant for the maintenance of close relatives abroad.

Such transfers increased to $389.78 million in March from $266.18 million in February.

At the same time, spending under the ‘studies abroad’ category declined.

This category includes payments made for educational services accessed remotely without travelling overseas, such as correspondence courses.

Remittances under this head stood at $151.71 million in March, compared to $175.68 million in February and $267.42 million in January.

For the financial year 2024-25, Indians remitted a total of $29.56 billion under the LRS.

Travel made up the largest portion of this amount at $16.96 billion.

The RBI figures further showed that investments by Indians in overseas equity and debt instruments rose significantly to $440.22 million in March from $265.99 million in February.

Meanwhile, outward remittances for the purchase of immovable property overseas declined to $38.68 million in March, down from $51.36 million a month earlier.