New service to China and India

On May 5,

Jet Airways

will start service between San Francisco and Mumbai, via Shanghai. This will be the third new U.S. departure point in the last year for the India-based airline, which also flies between Newark and Mumbai via Brussels, and New York (JFK) and Delhi, also via Brussels.

Back in December, I chose India as one of the

top five destinations to watch in 2008

because tourism infrastructure growth is making it more accessible to a wide range of travelers. In the last year,

Continental

and

Air India

have also added routes between the two countries, and hotel chains such as

Hilton

,

Marriott

, and

easyHotel

are expanding like crazy all over India.

All this development is good for leisure travelers who want a more familiar travel experience, but it may disappoint off-the-beaten-path travelers looking for a less globalized destination.