Inflation, depreciating rupee, steep air ticket pricing – nothing deter Indians from going places, like literally. More than 60% of Indians, as per a survey, are eager to travel and remain unaffected by the dip in rupee and continue to pursue their holiday plans.
The survey conducted by an online travel portal Yatra.com shows the changing paradigm of Indian travellers and how holidays and travel have become a priority amongst Indians. When asked whether they would wait for the rupee to rise and then go on holiday, 18% said no, while 33 % said that they would like to wait till the rupee stabilises. The balance 49 % said that it does not matter and that they would go on a holiday anyway.
Interestingly apart from the South East Asian countries, Europe has emerged as a destination of choice, primarily because of the Rupee remaining steady vis-à-vis the Euro. These destinations were followed in popularity by the United Kingdom and the United States, in that order. No not that domestic travelling within the country isn’t the trend. 24 % of the respondents chose to travel within India, while 27 % said that the location would depend on the expenses involved. The survey conducted on 10,000 individuals from Yatra’s customer base proves for the majority 49 % it doesn’t matter.
40% of the respondents have said that they will not compromise on accommodation and for close to 25% preference in accommodation hardly counts. However, 37.1 % has shown their preference in budget hotels, followed by Luxury Hotels at 32.3%.The other categories of accommodation that followed were Home Stays, Apartments, Staying with Friends and Families, and Guest Houses, in that order.
“Savvy Indian travelers book well in advance these days and hence are confident about getting good deals within their budget. The drop in oil prices has resulted in lower flight prices this year and a plethora of hotel deals has also helped in driving down the overall cost of an International break. Also, most travellers are optimistic of the rupee strengthening and are very confident that the fluctuation will not wreck their holiday plans,” said Sharat Dhall, President, Yatra.com.
Sightseeing has emerged as a favourite activity with almost 48 % of travellers planning to spend most of their money on it. A fascinating fact that cropped up was how 35 % of the respondents are looking to compromise on air travel in terms of premium and economy seating followed by shopping when it comes to cutting cost or managing budgets for their holidays.
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