Meet Indians - Image Conscious, Tech Savvy People Who Love Attention on Social Media

Indians are largely considered as people who are very conscious about themselves in public, and a report by an online travel company (surveying preference and behaviour of beach goers towards seaside holidays) reveals just that. It says Indians lead globally in getting their hair done, tanning and going for spa treatments before going on a beach vacation showing that we love to look absolutely proper and suitable for the trip.

The survey done among beachgoers in Asia Pacific, North America, Europe and South America further explains the important factors Indian beach-goers have in mind while deciding a destination. They place more importance than beachgoers globally on destinations which offer a great nightlife, destinations which offer adult only activities, social media visibility, beaches that allow beachgoers to go nude, destinations with plenty of singles, travel time to destination, availability of kid friendly resorts & activities. This shows more Indians are going bolder with their beach choices than before.

Talking of the kind of accommodation they prefer, a family-friend resort or an eco-friendly resort is where they would be most likely to stay at if they took a beach vacation in the next 12 months. However, interestingly the survey also points out that they are almost twice as likely as beachgoers globally to say they would choose a luxury 5-star resort if they took a beach vacation in the next year. This reflects that they prefer comfort, safety with luxury.

40% Indians, the highest in any country, say they get their hair done, go tanning and get a spa treatment to get beach ready!

Another interesting observation is Indians are more likely to be bothered by the “The Ogler” - the beachgoer who openly stares at others; and frustrated by “The Flirter” - the beachgoer who is looking for love and openly flirts with everyone along with “The Paparazzi” - The beachgoer who photographs strangers.

There's something however where they prefer to keep it low and simple - Almost 74% Indian respondents say they love walking along the beach side and would prefer a stroll any day over other beach activities like Swimming, sunbathing, watching a sunrise or reading. When it comes to dressing for the beach, the Indian woman prefers a swimsuit with cover up as the perfect beach attire. A relaxed day at the Beach is what Indians are loving.

Meanwhile, even as US beachgoers lead in posting photos in swimwear on Instagram and Facebook, Indians are the second highest in doing so and third highest in saying they would use a WiFi connection at the beach to share current activities on Instagram or Snapchat. We are tech-savvy, online socialites, open to the idea of exposing on our Facebook accounts (I-don't-care-who-thinks-what attitude) and love to get attention!!

(This study was conducted on behalf of Expedia by Northstar, a globally integrated strategic insights consulting firm. This survey was conducted across North America, Europe, South America and Asia Pacific using the Kantar-owned GMI (Global Market Insite) and Lightspeed Research amalgamated group of panels. The study was conducted among 11,155 adults aged 18 years of age and older across 24 countries. Sampling quotas and weighting were used to ensure the sample is representative of each country’s population in terms of age and gender. Assuming a probability sample, the margin of error would be +/-0.93 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.)