Meet India’s 'Passionistas': Millennials have secret hobby, 'foodie' most popular 'passion tribe'

According to the research, India is the third most important visitor arrival source market for Singapore, after China and Indonesia. In 2018, for the fourth time in a row, visitor arrival from India into Singapore crossed the one-millionth mark. Singapore welcomed 1.4 million visitors from India, a 13% increase over 2017, making India a high growth source market among its top 15.

Regional Director of Singapore Tourism board, GB Srithar, said in the research,  "The Passionista report confirms that Indian travellers’ passions play a critical role in determining how they relate to society, where they travel and how they spend their energies."

The research found that one-in-five respondents across all age groups claim to dedicate at least one hour a day to their passion. Also with such passions assuming increasing importance in Indians’ lives, 77% of the population is dedicating at least a quarter of their salaries on such passions every month.

The tendency to forge friendships over shared passions, hobbies, and interests appears to decline with age. The younger millennials, between the ages of 18 and 25, are most open to relationships on such grounds. More than one in five (22.5%) claim that they make most of their friends amongst those who share their hobbies or interests, even in comparison to older millennials (17.6%) between the ages of 26 and 35. The number drops further to 16.5% for those between 36-45 and lower still for those above the age of 46 at 14.7%.

The report also highlighted that when meeting someone for the first time socially, 37% of Indians identify themselves through their hobbies and interests. This beats more traditional topics such as their profession or qualifications (14.6%) and marital/family status (35.7%).

The research also revealed that "Foodie" is the most popular "Passion Tribe" followed by the "Explorer" and "Socialiser". The research said, "72% Indians travel around the world to pursue their interest in food, historical monuments and traversing through scenic landscapes." 

It also stated that more than half the respondents in the age group of 18-25 (64.4%) claim that they have a secret passion or hobby that their families or friends may not be aware of.  In the age group of 26 to 35,  55.5% older millennials had a secret passion or hobby. The passionistas's inconspicuousness further declines with 50.3% between 36 to 45 group, and 48.3% of those above 46 years.

The research also said that 23.5% of people are ready to take a salary cut to follow their passion. Also, 23.2% claimed that their passion does not require monetary investment; and 27.5% said that they will leave their jobs if given chance to pursue their interest.

Bengaluru and Kolkata appear to be most attached to their work in contrast to Delhi and Mumbai. More than half the respondents in Bengaluru (53.1%) and 41.4% respondents in Kolkata claim they would never quit their job to pursue their passion even though more than two-fifths in both cities (Bengaluru 52.8%, Kolkata 41.4%) admit they are not able to dedicate enough time towards their passion. 

Chennai (43.1%) and Hyderabad (53.4%) remain on the fence and would only quit their job to pursue their passion if they could make the
same amount as their current salary.