Monsoon no longer an off season for Indian tourism: yatra.com annual survey

Monsoon no longer an off season for Indian tourism: yatra.com annual survey

Pune: Changing vacation patterns of Indians have been revealed in a survey conducted by Yatra.com. In its annual monsoon survey, nearly 81 per cent of respondents stated that they plan to travel in the monsoon, which is the traditional lean period for tourism in the country.

The survey stated while a majority of respondents, 47.2 per cent, are planning to travel for one to four days, a whopping 45.9 per cent respondents stated they are planning a vacation for almost 15 days. “The survey has also found that monsoon seems to be the family bonding time as over 76 per cent respondents are looking at going for a family vacation this monsoon. The survey found that 43 per cent Indians believed that relaxation during holidays is the key reason to travel, underlining the urban Indians needed to escape the grind of everyday life,” said officials from Yatra.com.

Another major finding from the survey showcases that 69 per cent people would prefer to travel by air rather than by road to escape the hustle bustle of the season. “As a result of the frequent airline flash sales, over 37 per cent respondents booked their tickets at least one to three months in advance,” officials said.

Speaking about the impact of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), they said that the survey revealed that 56 per cent respondents said that their preference of luxury travel has been adversely affected. “One of the key observations derived out of the monsoon survey was also that a whopping number of 43.5 per cent respondents are willing to spend Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 on accommodation per night as luxury hotels attract 28 per cent GST. Post-GST announcement, three-star or four-star hotels are preferred by over 30 per cent travellers.

The findings suggest that 80 per cent people prefer to make payments via plastic money,” said the officials.

The survey revealed that almost 73 per cent people sought unique experiences in India over holidaying at international destinations.

While Goa and Munnar continue to be the prominent choice, northeastern destinations have emerged among the top choices of travellers this monsoon.

With 57 per cent respondents opting for ‘staycation’ during long weekends, the survey reveals a mini boom in this category.

Another interesting finding of the survey stated 35.6 per cent people would avoid visiting Mumbai during the monsoon.

Commenting on the findings of the survey, Sharat Dhall, COO (B2C), Yatra.com, said, “Individuals these days are taking more frequent vacations to unwind from their daily routine. It is very encouraging to see that once what was labelled as an off-season is now becoming a popular travel period, especially due to the upcoming long weekends. We have also seen an increased demand for newer destinations this monsoon with places like Kerala and Andaman and Nicobar Islands making it to our top five domestic destinations. While luxury travel has experienced a hit due to GST, we expect things to be back to normal soon.”

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