June 2022 was the biggest travel month since the pandemic

Travel in India is back on track after two years of pandemic induced disruptions, says OYO’s World Tourism Day Report. Booking data studied by OYO from January-September 2022 highlights a 62 per cent uptick in leisure tourism between January-September 2022 as compared to the same period last year. This growth is attributed to high consumer confidence combined with unprecedented pent-up demand in travel has given a significant impetus to domestic tourism across India. Furthermore, June 2022 saw the highest uptick in demand compared to the same period last year. These insights are a comparative analysis for the same period last year when states were just about opening up their borders to tourists once again, however, travel confidence still continued to be at a record low.  

There are visible signs of revival across all segments but most notably in leisure tourism, a major contributor to India’s travel and tourism economy. The data analysis further states that Jaipur and Goa have consistently topped as India’s favourite leisure destinations. However, Kochi, Varanasi and Visakhapatnam have also emerged as top ranked destinations among Indian travellers. The data shows a clear inclination towards heritage cities followed by beach destinations in India. When it comes to business travel, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai occupy the top spots as top business destinations in India in the first two quarters of 2022. 

Given that this summer witnessed record-breaking growth for the travel sector this year, the upcoming festive holiday season is expected to give a shot in the arm to the small and medium local hospitality businesses. Through a data-backed predictive analysis of current booking trends, OYO forecasts that among metropolitan cities, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai will witness the highest travel demand during the upcoming peak travel months. Among leisure destinations, Jaipur, Goa, Nagpur, Dehradun and Varanasi are set to benefit from the festive holiday travel demand. As per an analysis of the top 100 destinations, with nearly 25per cent, a majority of hill stations are predicted to be the most preferred destinations between October-December 2022, whereas, 20 per cent are heritage cities and nearly 10 per cent are beach destinations. Several offbeat destinations such as Prayagraj, Raipur, Puri, Nashik, Bareilly also cropped up on the list, signalling the Indian traveller’s inclination to explore less explored domestic destinations.

Commenting on the changing travel scenario Shreerang Godbole, Chief Service Officer & SVP - Product, OYO, said, “There’s a major shift in travel habits and sentiments. Unplanned vacations, shorter stays at the very last minute, exploring nearby and offbeat destinations are all very relevant trends today. Flexibility tops the list. Providing consumers with access at their disposal, the choice to make travel decisions on their own terms, convenience and personalisation are all elements to being the consumer’s travel partner today. We at OYO have worked hard to understand the new age consumer and their travel habits and have therefore rolled out several app level features to benefit their travel plans, even if it’s at the very last minute.”

Globally, across Europe, Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Austria and France are some of the most sought-after destinations. Diving deeper, Germans prefer spending their vacations at destinations such as North Holland in The Netherlands, Zealand in Denmark and the Baltic Sea region in Germany. Europe has also witnessed a rise in cross-country travel in 2022. In the USA, nearly 55 per cent American respondents opt for destinations closer to attractions such as glacier parks, lakes, waterfalls, natural reserves, while 14per cent prefer to spend their vacations at the beaches. This year, destinations such as Lincoln City, New Port and Seaside Orlando have topped the list among summer travellers. 

The upcoming season holds a lot of fervour for the hospitality industry, and with the right technologies like OYO’s flagship one-stop-shop patron platform - the CO-OYO app and local hotels, customers can make the most of this season. OYO is also planning to introduce a lot of exciting new features for its patrons (hotel owners) that will help them maximise earnings in the coming months.