With the accelerated vaccine roll out and the re-opening of several destinations, many Indians, who missed out on travel last year, are eager to holiday again. They are earmarking long weekends for quick getaways rather than planning extended vacations.
Part of this shift in customer behaviour is also because of the uncertainty prevalent in the country – as coronavirus cases keep rising several cities have imposed night curfews and partial lockdowns. However, this has not caused Indians to abandon their wanderlust.
According to the American Express Global Travel Trends Report, Indians ranked ‘most interested’ in future travel. Close to 84% respondents from the country said that they daydreamed about travel at least once a week.
The long Holi and Easter weekends are some occasions when they can realise their dreams to plan short excursions to nearby locations. Contemporary travellers prefer short solo trips, with friends or family during these holiday weekends. Many are even clubbing couple of weekdays to the long weekend holidays to travel to their hometowns.
Daniel D’souza, President and Country Head, Leisure, SOTC Travel said that there has been an encouraging response for Holi and Good Friday weekend. “Not just in metro cities, but tier-2 and -3 cities are witnessing a sharp spike in travel demand for the Holi weekend as people look forward to visit their hometowns and catch up with loved ones.”
SAFE DISTANCE
Following the sudden surge in COVID-19 cases, voyagers continue to seek less crowded accommodation and travel options. Travel companies like SOTC and Thomas Cook have witnessed an interest for private tours, villas, private homes and boutique properties.
“Destinations that are easy to drive to or take a quick flight are trending with families, solo travellers, small personal groups, couples and millennials. Micro Trips (short-haul vacations) is a rising travel trend, especially with Gen Z and millennials who see it as the best medium to escape their ever hectic work from home schedules with a quick getaway,” D’Souza noted.
Moreover, customers have shown a strong sentiment and preference for outdoor experiences. Gen Z and millennials are displaying a strong inclination to explore adventure such as bike trips and nature-based holidays with their families.
Mahindra Holidays and Resorts India Ltd (MHRIL), which operates Club Mahindra resorts, have seen a growing interest among adventure enthusiasts, seeking an adrenalin rush after months of lounging indoors. Kavinder Singh, MD and CEO at MHRIL said that the company’s resorts have registered a spike for in-resort activities and adventure sports such as Zorbing, jungle safari, trekking and kayaking.
Following the easing of travel restrictions, international destinations are also seeing an upward demand trajectory. As per SOTC’s Holiday Readiness Report (December 2020) 48% respondents claimed that they are likely to take an international holiday and 50% displaying significant interest for short haul destinations such as Maldives.
Of course, domestic destinations such as Andamans, Kashmir, Jaipur, Mahabaleshwar, Goa and Alibaug are witnessing good demand for the Holi weekend. Online booking platform, Yatra.com, stated that customer enquires rose by 50% during the Holi and Easter long weekend. Apart from the conventional accommodation options, they were keen to explore options like homestays, staycations, cottages and tents.
