Sector Snapshot · Leisure Services

India's Tourism Sector Outpaces the Global Growth Average

A fast-read primer on India's tourism and hospitality sector — the backdrop against which we benchmark every company's cost structure in this category.

Rs 15.73 lakh cr
Tourism's contribution to GDP
84.63 mn
Jobs generated by travel & tourism, 2023-24
US$60 bn
Tourism & hospitality sector size target by 2028
US$36.05 bn
International visitor spend, 2024 (record)
39th
India's Global Travel & Tourism Development Index rank, 2024

GDP and Employment Contributions Both Lead the Average

Tourism's total economic footprint outpaces its direct footprint on both fronts, reflecting a large indirect multiplier.

GDP Contribution

Direct vs. total impact

2.72%
Direct Share
5.22%
Total Impact

Employment Contribution

Direct vs. total impact

5.82%
Direct Share
13.34%
Total Impact

What's Pushing the Sector Forward

Above-average GDP contribution, robust demand, and reform-driven policy support define the sector.

Above-Average GDP Contribution
  • Contributes 5.22% to GDP (total impact), above the world average
Robust Demand
  • International visitor spend hit a record $36.05bn in 2024
Policy Support
  • GST on hotel stays under Rs7,500 cut to 5%
  • Expanded e-visa and Golden Visa reforms

Recent Developments

A sample of the industry-wide and policy moves shaping the sector through early 2026.

Companies We Benchmark in This Sector

Listed Indian Leisure Services companies in tDoBe's cost-benchmarking coverage.

Indian Hotels Co
IRCTC
ITC Hotels
Jubilant Foodworks
EIH
Chalet Hotels
Travel Food Services
TBO Tek
Leela Palaces Hotels
Ventive Hospitality
Devyani International
BLS International
Lemon Tree Hotels
Le Travenues (Ixigo)
Westlife Foodworld
Jeena Sikho Lifecare
ITDC
Sapphire Foods

The Cost Benchmark — What We Actually FoundtDoBe Think Report

The market facts above are public background. What follows is tDoBe's own work: every "Other Expenses" line from these companies' own financial records, read by hand and sorted into one clear set of categories — not a keyword search, not each company's own way of reporting it.

30.1%
tDoBe Average — Other Expenses as % of net revenue
8.6×
Gap between the highest and lowest company
13
Cost categories, sorted by meaning
6.5%
Biggest single category — Miscellaneous & Others
FY24/25
Latest available financial records

Where Companies Land — Total Other Expenses

Each mark is one company's total Other Expenses as % of net revenue. No company is named here.

30.1%
0%10%20%30%40%50%

tDoBe Average by Cost Category

Ranked from biggest to smallest.

Miscellaneous & Others
6.5%
Advertising & Sales Promotion
4.5%
Power & Fuel/Utilities
3.3%
Repairs & Maintenance
3.1%
Royalty & Brand/Technical Fees
2.2%
Total Other Expenses
30.1%
Where the Cost Really Sits

General overheads, marketing, and running physical premises — power and repairs — together make up most of the cost here, typical of a sector built around hotels, restaurants, and travel services.

Why the Range Is So Wide

This sector spans very different businesses — hotels, quick-service restaurants, travel-booking platforms, and railway catering all sit under one sector code — so the range between companies is unusually wide.

Why the Comparison Is Fair

We use each company's own standalone financial records — not group numbers, not each company's own labels. Every cost line is read by hand and placed into one common set of categories, so every company is compared the same way.

See Where Your Own Company Stands

This is the free, sector-wide view. It tells you where Leisure Services stands as a whole — not where your own company stands against it, category by category, in rupees.

Report
$999
Your company, named, benchmarked against the sector. Every category broken out and explained. Delivered in about a week.
Consulting
$4,999
7 working days. We work straight from your own records, on the categories you want answered first.

A below-average number is a reason to call too — the benchmark keeps improving as we go.

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Compiled from public government and industry sources, February 2026 update · Figures rounded · tDoBe sector snapshot, for informational purposes · Cost Benchmark findings compiled from companies' own financial records, FY2024/25.