Travolution@PhoCusWright Brussels - India's Big Brother

Those British delegates who passionately disapprove of the UK government’s proposal to issue state ID cards could sympathise with Indian consumers, who apparently are reluctant to buy online because they don’t want the tax man to know how much money they have.

Such was the message from a panel of Asian entrepreneurs, who explained would-be Indian travellers do not want to use their credit cards for fear that big brother is watching.

Delegates were also quite surprised to learn that only an estimated 18 million people, out of a population of 1 billion, hold a credit card, and of the 40 million people who have access to the internet, a significant portion do not have high-speed lines.

Suffice it to say that those who had been feeling a bit antsy about not having already staked their claim in India now feel they have a bit more lead time. As one delegate put it: “I think we can afford to wait a little while”.

Tricia Holly Davis, freelance journalist