Dec 23 2023, 09:39
The holiday rush: Indians are travelling like never before, and the world is open:
As per MakeMyTrip data, the top destinations for the last week of December in the domestic sector include Goa, Rajasthan, Varanasi, Kerala, Rishikesh and Kashmir. In terms of international flight bookings, popular destinations such as the UAE, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia continue to be favourites. There is also a "significant" increase for Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, and Kazakhstan, Magow said.
Going by most accounts, the October to December quarter this year is likely to be a bumper quarter for the travel and hospitality sector with most companies claiming to have an even better momentum than in 2019.
"There is a lot of talk about high airfares but the important thing to note is that people are travelling," said Rajesh Magow, cofounder and group CEO of MakeMyTrip.
"Typically, international travel bookings, even for short-haul travel, are made a couple of weeks or more in advance. However, with markets such as Thailand and others making the entry process a lot easier, we are seeing advance purchase windows for these destinations becoming hot spots.
In terms of international flight bookings, popular destinations such as the UAE, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia continue to be favourites. There is also a "significant" increase for Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, and Kazakhstan, Magow said.
Aloke Bajpai, group CEO and cofounder of Ixigo, said searches for travel in December to Malaysia and Thailand have seen more than 100% month-on-month increase, after visa policy changes that allow a 30-day visa-free stay for Indians.
"Supported partly by the preference for experiences and travel, the festive season this year has been much stronger than last year and pre-Covid-19," she said. "The demand has largely stemmed from domestic tourists, although foreign tourist arrivals have been picking up."
Deep Banka, chief operating officer of Zostel, said popular destinations such as Mussoorie, Manali, Rishikesh, and Lonavala are expected to surpass all previous records.
source:et
Dec 24 2023, 10:19