Here’s what Indians did in their winter holidays!

It seems Indians have found nirvana in travelling! Travel portal such as Yatra.com has seen at least 30% rise in the travel budgets of an Indian traveller over 25% increase in 2014 during the winter holidays.

“The propensity of Indians to spend on travel has clearly increased with more than 30% people willing to spend above Rs 50,000 as against 25% last year,” said Sharat Dhall, president of Yatra.com.

Additionally, people are increasingly opting for international destinations over domestic ones for short travels. If market players are to be believed then south east asian countries such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia have been the international hotspots and saw the same demand as for Goa this holiday season.

Apart from the traditional Goa and Kerala, hill station such as Kashmir was the favourite holiday destination amongst domestic travellers.

“Vacationing in winters has become an accepted norm similar to summer travel. We have seen a number of takers opting for not only domestic but also international destinations for their winter vacations. Indians are holidaying more frequently and that’s a trend that has been on an increase over the past few years. Mobile bookings and budget accommodation are two areas where we made tremendous progress in the winter season,” he added.

It also seems that globetrotting Indians have taken a cue from their foreign counterpart when it comes to accommodation. With the likes of OYO Rooms and WudStay finding foot in the hospitality sector, budget travel seems to be the most obvious choice. At least 60% of travellers are spending less than Rs 4,000 on accommodation while remaining seem to enjoy the luxuries of star properties or the warmth of home-stays.

The study also revealed Indians prefer to travel with families over spouses, friends or solo. True to the famous saying—Heart is where home is!