Indians willing to trek the world for their holidays
Indian travellers have become highly aspirational. Three out of four want to go abroad for their next holiday and are more keen on going in the winter rather than during summer holidays.
By Irshad Daftari, TNN |
MUMBAI: Indian travellers have become highly aspirational. Three out of four want to go abroad for their next holiday and are more keen on going in the winter rather than during summer holidays.
Security threat in Jammu & Kashmir notwithstanding, many Indians still look forward to a vacation in the valley, as also in places like Turkey and Russia. These are just a few nuggets thrown up by a Thomas Cook-Readers Digest survey, conducted in association with Macro research.
The survey, billed the first travel survey in the country, was conducted by interviewing 1,165 people from the top eight cities. The survey suggests that while just a third of all people surveyed actually have gone abroad, over three-fourths of all those surveyed have made a foreign destination their next choice of holiday.
All but 0.3% of the people surveyed went for a holiday once a year, with about 22% polled having taken more than three vacations a year.
The US still remains the number one choice for an international holiday, followed by Singapore, UK, Switzerland and Australia. In India, Goa beaches are the biggest draw, closely followed by Kashmir, Kullu Manali/Simla and Ooty. Interestingly, Mumbai is one of the top-10 choices for a holiday.
ADVERTISEMENT
But, that’s just one part of the story. According to Madhavan Menon, managing director, Thomas Cook India, “the study also indicates that people want to visit off-beat, exotic locales like Turkey, Bahamas and Russia over traditional foreign destinations like Nepal and Thailand.”Even as travel agents across the country make a splash about attractive holiday schemes, potential tourists tend to look the other way. Nearly 61% of those surveyed actually listed word of mouth as their biggest source of information for a holiday.
Around 56% said they would prefer travelling between the months of October and December, even though it would be peak season for the rest of the world, while 35% said they’d like to travel between April and June.
The age of the fully independent traveller is perhaps a long way away; just 3% of people indicated that they'd go for a holiday alone.
ADVERTISEMENT
Finally, Indian travellers still like to err on the side of caution; well over three-fourths plan out their holiday, with just 22% of respondents saying that they actually don’t plan for their holidays.Start a SIP with as low as ₹500 with ET Money App!
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
