One in two Indian travellers plan to take first trip since 2020: Survey

New Delhi, May 6 (PTI) One in every two Indian travellers plan to take their first trip this summer, after a 2-year hiatus due to COVID-19 induced restrictions, indicating a strong bounce back in travel confidence across the country, says survey by travel and hospitality technology platform OYO.

As per the OYO's Mid-Summer Vacation Index 2022, over 61 per cent of Indian travellers said they are planning to take vacations this summer, out of which 94 per cent showed a strong preference to travel domestically.

This shows that despite the opening up of international air travel, exploring local destinations is here to stay in 2022, OYO said in a statement.

"Interestingly, every 1 in 2 Indian travellers plan to head out on their first trip since the 2020 lockdown this summer. This is a strong indicator of the bounce back in travel confidence across India, mainly due to mass vaccination drives, combined with the receding pandemic severity," it added.

The survey which interviewed over 1,000 respondents across India in April 2022, also found that short trips are the preferred choice with 55 per cent of them opting for it.

"Over 50 per cent Indians opted to travel with friends, while 26.5 per cent said they would love to spend their vacation with family and 13 per cent of respondents also wished to go solo this summer," it added.

In terms of destinations, over one-third of the respondents opted Manali as their favourite hill station, while Goa topped the charts as the most loved beach destination. As many as 38 per cent expressed interest in visiting Kullu this summer, followed by Rishikesh for its water sports, it said.

"The past few years changed the way we travel. People are much more open to taking smaller breaks, working from a scenic location or even making their travel bookings at the very last minute," OYO SVP - Product & Chief Service Officer Shreerang Godbole said.

Alongside these trends, he said consumers are now looking for higher personalisation and flexibility - when it comes to digital payments, easy booking modifications, or even support to resolve queries.

"Adding to this trend, we strongly believe that domestic destinations will benefit the most from this bounce back, especially the smaller unexplored ones," Godbole said.

When it comes to travel experience, the OYO survey found that almost 30 per cent of the respondents said they would "love to enjoy stunning sunset views while at a beautiful beach in Goa", while 21 per cent felt "there is no better way to admire the sunset other than a shikara ride on Dal Lake in Srinagar" followed by witnessing sunset at the Taj Mahal.