Luxury Travel On a Rise Among Indian Tourists: Yatra Survey

By BW Hotelier ONLINE TRAVEL portal, Yatra.com has conducted their annual winter survey which showcases the outlook of Indian travellers planning their holidays this season. One of the key findings was that the propensity of Indians to spend on travel has clearly increased with more than 30 per cent people willing to spend above Rs 50,000 as against 25 per cent last year. Another observation was how people’s preference to choose an international destination over a domestic destination has risen. Over 30 per cent people are willing to opt for an international destination while the remaining looked at domestic travel this winter. Kashmir and other hill stations topped the list for domestic travel showcasing that winter destinations are not off the list during this time of the year. South East Asian countries were international favourites and were pitted at the same percentage as Goa for a holiday this season. The advance booking streak continues with most people looking at finalizing their plans one to three months before travel. This year has been about budget accommodation and the survey also brought forth similar facts. Budget hotels were the obvious choice of accommodation with almost 60 per cent opting for lodging options under Rs 4,000. The rest were divided between star properties, friends and family, home stays and ultra-luxury hotels, in the same order. Contrary to last year’s winter survey, family was the more obvious choice as travel partners followed by spouses, friends and solo travel. With the smart phone revolution, there has also been a marked increase in mobile bookings this winter as well. Yatra’s survey showcased that more than 30 per cent have started using apps for their travel bookings and only a mere 10 per cent prefer travel agents, while the remaining book holidays on their desktops. Sharat Dhall, President, Yatra.com, (see photo) commented, ’Vacationing in winters has become an accepted norm similar to summer travel. We have seen a number of takers opting for not only domestic but also international destinations for their winter vacations. Indians are holidaying more frequently and that’s a trend that has been on an increase over the past few years. Mobile bookings and budget accommodation are two areas where we made tremendous progress in the winter season.’ On a lighter note, skiing topped the charts as the favourite winter sport and boots won as the most favourite winter accessory. The survey was conducted amongst 10,000 respondents from Yatra’s customer base. Top Choice for Domestic Destinations Kashmir or other Hill Stations (22.1 per cent) Goa (19.7 per cent) Kerala (13.3 per cent) Andamans (8.2 per cent) Top Choice for International Destinations Thailand/Singapore/Malaysia (19.4 per cent) Europe (13.7 per cent) Dubai (11.5 per cent)