Most Indian travellers can name 5 Thai islands but not 5 Indian states. The mental ROI is backwards.

A common pattern: Indian travellers in their 20s and 30s have detailed mental maps of Bali, Phuket, and Da Nang but couldn't name 5 Indian states they've visited. The international-first ordering makes sense for status reasons; it makes less sense for actual life enrichment. India has more travel diversity than any equivalent geography on the planet. The deserts of Rajasthan, the snow of Sikkim, the backwaters of Kerala, the high-altitude desert of Ladakh, the rainforests of Wayanad — different countries condensed into one geography. The travel-domestic-first principle isn't patriotism; it's ROI on travel time.