Pune: How often do you see people around you taking just one long vacation in a year? ‘Travel often’ has become the buzz word that Indians go by these days and instead of taking a long vacation, they prefer short but multiple holidays in a year.
The SOTC India Holiday Report 2019 reveals that Indians are increasingly opting for multiple short breaks. The travel is no longer a luxury for Indian travellers, but a non-negotiable necessity. “Indians are displaying an increasing appetite for multiple short breaks/ escapes.
Around 58 per cent of Generation Z (age group of 4 to 24 years) prefer to take trips of 3 to 6 days with engaging experiences, and 56 per cent of millennials/ Generation Y (age group of 25 to 39 years) prefer short-duration trips instead of long vacations,” the report stated.
Office leave and school holidays
Travel Agents Association of Pune Director Nilesh Bhansali stated that the trend of shorter vacations is dictated by the patterns of school holidays and leaves in offices.
“These days, people are preferring to take two-three shorter holidays throughout the year. Mostly, this could be due to the patterns of long weekends, or the way school holidays are planned,” Bhansali added.
Due to this, international short hauls like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sri Lanka are popular, while the domestic favourites are Goa, Kerala, Andaman, Uttaranchal and North East.
The only exception is the age group above 56 years, who still prefer longer vacations of 7 to 15 or more days.
SOTC Travel Managing Director Vishal Suri said, “The findings of the report reinforce that travel has become a non-negotiable element in the Indian traveller calendar. The digital divide is almost non-existent with technology being a great enabler across age groups. As against the single annual vacation, Indians are displaying an increasing appetite for multiple short holiday breaks.”
Key findings of the report
