TravTalk India Online Magazine
In an interview with TRAVTALK, Santosh Kumar, Country Manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia, Booking.com, shares travel trends for 2024. Along with many other travel segments, sports is also on the upswing, he shares.
Surbhi Sharma
Indian travellers are exploring the domestic offerings in an extensive way. From beautiful hill stations to beaches to wildlife reserves, domestic travel in India is gaining momentum due to increased convenience, shorter distances, and lower costs. Foreign trips by Indians have also increased due to improved passport services, visa-on-arrival facilities, regional connectivity, and growing middle-class incomes, says Santosh Kumar, Country Manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia, Booking.com, sharing insights about the growth of the travel and hospitality sector in India.
“As the Indian travel landscape continues to evolve, there has been increased interest in domestic and international travel. According to APAC Travel Confidence Index 2023, 86 per cent of Indians are optimistic about travelling, the top-ranked country in terms of travel confidence within the survey, with 61 per cent having no intention of postponing their plans in the next 12 months, shows the number of aggregate trips in India is expected to reach 5 billion in 2030,” he says.
Destinations preferred by Indians
Santosh said,“76 per cent of Indian travellers are determined to use their holidays to cool down in places far from the scorching sun and 74 per cent mentioned that climate change is now a pivotal factor influencing their vacation plans pushing them towards cooler destinations with hill stations dominating the most searched summer destinations for Indians travelling domestically.”
Ooty tops the list of most searched leisure destinations this summer, followed by Manali, Darjeeling, Srinagar and Rishikesh. While domestic travel continues to be a popular choice, Indians are increasingly exploring global destinations within Asia Pacific such as Singapore, Bangkok, Bali, Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur.
In Q1 of 2024, the top searched domestic destinations include metropolises such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata, alongside leisure destinations like Jaipur, Goa, Udaipur and Ooty, as well as spiritual destinations like Varanasi, Rishikesh and Puri. Indians are exploring both short-haul and long-haul destinations with Dubai, Singapore, Bangkok, Makkah and London among the top five most searched international destinations for Q1.
Travel trends of 2024
This year, Booking.com witnessed many dynamic shifts in travel trends. Indians are travelling more than ever, for work as well as leisure. According to Booking.com’s Travel Predictions 2024, Cool Cationioners, Culinary Excavators and Reboot Retreaters are trending in India.
Brands ready to open hotels in tier II and III cities
Santosh said, “Travel will continue to be on top of mind for many Indians, with travel expenditure across domestic and foreign trips projected to grow from US $150 billion in 2019 to US $410 billion by the end of the decade. The growth in travel to tier II and III cities has resulted in leading global hotel chains expanding their reach into cities such as Jodhpur, Dharamshala, Bodh Gaya, Bilaspur and Coorg with early 70 per cent of upcoming branded hotel properties set to emerge in cities, including Kolhapur, Nashik and Puri. This surge in domestic travel demand is driven by a strong economy, a burgeoning middle class, travel-loving youth and improved infrastructure and connectivity.”
Rise of sports tourism
Event tourism is experiencing a remarkable resurgence with travellers increasingly drawn to immersive experiences such as music festivals, concerts and sporting events. Indian sports fans are no longer happy with watching sports action on screen; rather they are keen on watching their favourite athletes live. According to the data, this year, 73 per cent Indian travellers are interested in sports events. They are excited to seize the opportunity to witness their favourite sport live while exploring diverse spots. Based on Booking.com accommodation search data, Paris is among the top five most searched destinations due to the Olympics. Similarly, New York and London also experienced the same as they are hosting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and Wimbledon Championship, respectively.
