Yatra.com recently conducted its annual festive survey highlighting travel trends being followed by Indians across regions, this festive season. The survey results from 5000 respondents reveals that over 25 percent individuals are keen on exploring the north eastern states of India when compared to famous destinations such as Goa, Andamans, Himachal Pradesh, to break away from the conventional monotony of city life this festive season.
The survey also reveals a growing demand for short haul trip to domestic destinations as a preferred choice for over 40 per cent of individuals when asked to choose between international, religious destinations or hometowns.
Led by airline flash sales, the trend of booking in advance continues to be on rise with a whopping 52 per cent respondents booking at least 1-3months in advance from their travel date. Over 30 per cent respondents said choose 3-4-star hotels as accommodations over budget hotels, a rise in demand post government announcement for relaxation on GST rates.
There has also been an increase in the number of travelers willing to go for homestays and cottages as compared to data received in the survey conducted last year. While choosing accommodation, about 36.8 per cent of them look for cleanliness of rooms and hotel hygiene, while 25.3 per cent of them consider customer service to be an important element.
“Over the last couple of years, we have witnessed a good mix of travellers choosing to visit their hometown or opting for a short trip to various destinations during festive breaks. The trend for short trips of 3-5 days has picked up, wherein travellers look for a budget trip, inclusive of activities such as sightseeing and shopping. We also see an increase in demand for accommodation with proximity to key tourist spots, showing a rise in experiential travel. Most of the airlines and hotels announce sales and offer festive discounts a few weeks prior to the festive season to tap into this growth in demand and this year has seen the same trend continue,” Sharat Dhall, COO (B2C), Yatra.com, said.
