Over 45% respondents said they would prefer local travel destinations and staycations over international travel in 2021.
2020 meant holiday plans were put on hold, but travel enthusiasts are looking forward to 2021 with staycations and local travel on their minds reveals a new survey.
We all could do with a little downtime. In fact, a survey conducted by AI-driven EMI platform ZestMoney shows that over 75% respondents did not take a vacation in the last three. But we’re hopeful with over 57% planning their next leisure travel in early 2021.
Vocal for local The platform released the findings from a customer survey conducted to understand how Indians are shaping up their travel plans for the coming year. The survey was conducted with a sample of 4600 respondents across key metros and Tier II/III cities in India. An increasing number of people want to opt for domestic travel. Within India, Goa (53.1%), followed by Kerala (32.9%) and Shimla (31.4%) ranked high on the travel bucket-list. Ladakh, Kashmir, Jaipur, Agra and Mysore were the other popular destinations.
Over 45% respondents said they would prefer local travel destinations and staycations over international travel in 2021; while ~ 60% respondents preferred interstate, travel compared to travelling within the state or internationally.
Shimla is among the top picks for travellers for 2021. On their own Local travel also translates into people minimising their risk of exposure. With safety being the order of the day, 42 % of the respondents said that they would prefer to use their own vehicle while travelling instead of taking a flight or train. 60% said that they would opt for a hotel over a homestay while picking an accommodation for their next trip. Safety and hygiene ranked as a top criterion (74%) while selecting a travel destination.
ADVERTISEMENT
With the pandemic taking a hit on finances, travellers have slashed their discretionary spends, including those on leisure activities. Over 44% believed that their holiday and travel budgets have been impacted. Lizzie Chapman, CEO & Co-founder at ZestMoney said, “The pandemic had halted leisure travel for many travel enthusiasts over the past year as they restrained their discretionary spends and focussed on savings. With the phased reopening across cities, consumers are gradually planning their vacations for the coming year.”
