J aisalmer, also referred to as the “The Golden City”, is home to the Jaisalmer Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the city boasts of some famous tourist attractions, such as Sam Sand Dunes, Khuri Sand Dunes, Gadisagar Lake, Patwon-ki-Haweli and Jain temples, it has struggled to establish itself as a prime leisure destination, unlike some of its peers in the state of Rajasthan.

Over the last couple of years, tourism in India has seen a significant upswing on the back of the rising purchasing power of the expanding middle class and a shift from foreign to domestic tourism, among other factors. This trend has been rather prominent in the leisure cities in India.

The Golden Triangle is one of the most famous leisure tourist circuits in the country, which connects the national capital, Delhi, to Agra and Rajasthan. Based on the tour organiser, these trips could vary from 7 days to 21 days. A typical tour covers Delhi, Agra, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Udaipur. Where, till around 2017, Individual Foreign Leisure and Group Foreign Leisure formed majority of the demand in Jaisalmer, there has been a steady shift in recent times, with demand from Individual Domestic Leisure outpacing that generated by Individual Foreign Leisure. Notably, over the past two years, the city has seen a 40% growth in domestic traffic. This sudden influx of tourists can be largely attributed to the commencement of direct flights to Jaisalmer from different parts of the country. Under the government’s UDAN-Regional Connectivity Scheme, two flight services were established in October 2017, connecting Jaisalmer to Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Surat, Delhi and Mumbai. However, these flights are only operational from September to March owing to the highly seasonal nature of the hospitality market in Jaisalmer.

Infrastructure and connectivity play a pivotal role in the establishment of a leisure destination, and Jaisalmer is a prime example. A city, which previously was a one-night stopover destination as part of the Golden Triangle circuit, has now evolved into a two-night destination for leisure and MICE. Improvement in air connectivity has aided the promotion of MICE demand, which earlier formed only a negligible portion of the overall demand in the city. Going forward, as Jaisalmer grows in popularity and more branded hotels/resorts open, we also expect it to establish itself as a prime wedding market, similar to other cities in Rajasthan, like Udaipur, Jaipur and Jodhpur.