Since planes, hotels, and destinations free up, Indians are travelling for the holiday season and even “revenge travel” as the terrible COVID-19 outbreak is progressively abating.
Apart from the hills of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, as well as the North-Eastern areas, Kerala is a more popular beach destination for domestic travellers than Goa, according to a new search report from the US-based vacation rental company Airbnb.
A brief about Kerala becomes most favourite beach destination for Indians beating Goa:
Airbnb searches in these categories increased by over 375 per cent for Kerala between Q3 2021 and Q3 2022, followed by Goa (where searches increased by about 275 per cent) and Pondicherry (over 200 per cent increase).
According to the analysis, which compared search data from Q3 2021 to Q3 2022, searches in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand’s hill stations increased by over 50% and over 100%, respectively, during the same time period.
More importantly, the North Eastern region has established itself as a popular vacation spot. According to Airbnb’s search data, from Q3 2021 to Q3 2022, searches for accommodations in Meghalaya increased by over 450 per cent, those for Assam by over 400 per cent, and those for Nagaland by almost 300 per cent.
In addition, compared to Q3 2019, the total number of nights booked in India increased by almost 50%, and nights booked domestically increased by almost 80%.
The survey by Airbnb also emphasised Indians’ love of international travel in addition to domestic tourism. In the third quarter of 2022, London, Dubai, Paris, Toronto, and New York were among the most often searched cities abroad. Other long-haul favourites included the US, UK, and places in Europe.
The company also reported a “whopping increase of more than 1,250 per cent in searches for stays in Turkey, over 750 per cent in Norway, over 625 per cent in Portugal, and a more than 600 per cent increase in searches for South Africa.” According to Airbnb, “While interest in traditionally popular destinations remains high, Indians are also expanding their travel horizons and looking to explore new overseas destinations.”
Indians were also seen looking up searches for other popular foreign locations, such as South Korea, Poland, and Finland, all of which had increases of over 500 per cent (over 400 per cent).
Airbnb noted that when travelling, Indian guests searched for amenities that help facilitate flexible new ways of travelling and living, with pools, Wi-Fi, kitchens, air conditioners, and washers all making up the top five most searched filters. Airbnb is primarily a “bed-and-breakfast” service, where property owners rent out their spaces to travellers looking for a place to stay. This information was gathered from queries conducted in Q3 2022 for check-in dates between December 18, 2022, and January 2, 2023.
According to Airbnb, travellers will continue to travel to far-flung locations this winter in search of sun, sand, and water as many businesses and organisations across the nation transition to winter breaks and flexible office-home work hours. This winter, Indians have primarily reserved trips in the following five categories: tropical, national park, pool, beach, and iconic cities.
Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager of Airbnb for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, commented on the findings, saying, “Indian travellers continue to prioritise popular travel destinations like Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Local beach and hill areas throughout India, as well as closer-to-home destinations like Thailand, Dubai, Indonesia, and Singapore, continue to be well-liked. As tourism recovers, this increased appetite for travel is a good indication.”
