Indians are travelling like never before. Thomas Cook (India) Limited, India’s leading omnichannel travel services company, and its group company, SOTC Travel’s consumer data indicates increased demand for weekend breaks and minications. The upcoming Holi week/weekend offers a unique opportunity to club two consecutive long weekends by taking three days off to make the most of a nine-day holiday. The companies are witnessing a significant surge of nearly 5x for the Holi weekend bookings compared to last year.
Holi Travel Trends:
- Spiritual Plus: This Holi, in addition to temple tourism, Indians are travelling to locales connected to the life and times of Lord Krishna, such as Radha Krishna’s Brij Bhoomi ‘Huranga’ to experience the world-renowned Holi celebrations; Nandgaon to witness ‘Lathmar’, a ritual play of village women; Barsana where Holi revellers throng the Radharani temple and shower each other with sweets and colour in ‘Ladoo Mar’ celebrations; and ceremonies at the revered Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan. Food enthusiasts get to indulge in local delicacies like the famous mathura ka peda, makhan mishri, ghewar, rabri, hing kachori, jalebi, and Holi favourites including thandai, gujiya, malpua, bhang pakora, and more.
- Drivecations: An uptick of 25% was seen in closer-to-home/drivable destinations with increased length of stay from three/four days to five/seven days. Travellers in and around Delhi are opting for destinations including Naukuchiatal, Munsiyari, Kangra, Kanatal, Kausani, Ranikhet, and Mukteshwar. Similarly, travellers from Maharashtra and Gujarat are opting for Bhandardara, Amboli, Sindhudurg, Kolad, Kamshet, Harnai-Anjarle, Saputara, Silvassa, and Saputara, and travellers from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are opting for Hampi, Gokarna, Coorg, Puducherry, and Kanyakumari.
- Outdoor Adventure: There is a 30% increase in interest for outdoor and adventure travel with biking trips covering Srinagar-Leh-Manali, Manali to Spiti Valley, Jaipur-Jodhpur-Jaisalmer; white water rafting in Rishikesh, Leh-Ladakh, and Uttarakhand; paragliding in Shillong and Gangtok; camping in Jaisalmer, Kullu, and Chopta; trekking in Sikkim, Coorg, and Mcleodganj; snowboarding in Auli, Pahalgam, and Sethan; and safari in Pench, Kanha, Corbett, and Ranthambore.
- Surge in Short Haul: Visa-free access is fuelling demand for international destinations like Sri Lanka, Thailand, Mauritius, and Malaysia with a surge of 30% vs last year. There is also an increase in demand for places with easy visa regimes such as Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam-Cambodia, Abu Dhabi-Dubai, Oman, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan.
- Direct connectivity: Places like Baku, Amalty, and Vietnam with direct connectivity bring ease and convenience, and propel impulse purchases.
- Higher spends: Indians are spending 25% more this Holi than last year.
- Airfares: There is a 6-10% drop in airfares (compared to Holi last year) for domestic favourites like Srinagar, Chandigarh, Andamans, Bagdogra, Goa, and Jaipur from hubs like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kochi. In the subcontinent, airfares to Kathmandu and Colombo have witnessed a drop of approximately 5% inspiring an uplift in air travel.
- Domestic destinations in the spotlight: This Holi, domestic travel is witnessing an uptick enjoying a share of 70% compared to international destinations which is the remaining 30%.
Rajeev Kale, President and Country Head of Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, said, “With Holi falling on a Monday and Good Friday in the same week, customers are taking three days off to avail a week-long holiday to explore their favourite locales across India. Our trends indicate that customers are maximising this opportunity to take an extended break, be it a spiritual getaway, an outdoor or adventure trip, a self-drive holiday, or a tranquil getaway in the hills or beaches. This year we are witnessing a significant rise in demand by 5x vs last year and an increased spend of 25%, more so given the longer duration. In addition to celebrating Holi, segments across young Indians, families, and ad-hoc groups of friends are looking to explore destinations within the country and short-haul international options.”
Daniel D’souza, President and Country Head of SOTC Travel, said, “The upcoming Holi week combined with the subsequent Easter weekend offers strong potential for a week-long vacation, and our data indicates a surge not only from metros and mini-metros, but also from tier two and three cities. What is noteworthy is that we are seeing a surge in air-inclusive holidays fuelled by the dip in airfares over the extended week/weekend; drivecations too are seeing a brisk business.”
