Mr Marks attended two Indian tourism trade shows earlier this month and will present his findings at a Lake Wanaka Tourism meeting today.
He spent two days in New Delhi and another three at Mumbai as part of a seven-member Southern Lakes Tourism delegation.
Another 23 New Zealand representatives also attended the trade shows.
India is New Zealand's 10th-largest tourism market - representing about 30,000 visitors in 2010 - and 99% of Indian tourists visit the Queenstown and Southern Lakes regions.
"Tourism New Zealand expects India to be in the top five within the next few years. India's economy is growing strongly, consumer confidence is high and wealthy Indians are willing to spend. Demand for outbound travel is high and New Zealand is growing in popularity. For these reasons, Indian visitors represent a significant opportunity for Lake Wanaka."
Indian travel agents liked to deal directly with accommodation and activity providers and to bargain on price, he said.
He recommended Wanaka operators work with the Indian market through an inbound operator because dealing directly could be "complex, time-consuming and carries an element of risk".
Indians enjoyed personalised services and expected high levels of service. Things like the colour of a hired car were important, Mr Marks said.
Indians were activity oriented and preferred going to fewer places and doing many activities while in one place.
"This makes Southern Lakes an ideal hub for visiting New Zealand and is borne out in the fact that most Indian itineraries had a minimum stay in Queenstown of three nights and an average stay of four to five nights. There is a great opportunity for Wanaka to have one to two nights included on these itineraries."
