Travel in numbers

The year started with an optimistic outlook for travel plans for Indians and many seemed to be willing to spend on travel, despite the slow economic scenario. According to a survey by the TripBarometer, 77 percent of the people declared that they would increase their travel budget this year and the Indian travellers seemed to be upbeat about their holiday plans for 2014.

Normally vacation means staying completely disconnected from the rest of the world and a peaceful, enjoyable time to yourself. However, nine out of ten Indian travellers admitted to being attached to mobile technology while they were away. The desire to stay connected with family and friends at home and fear of missing out on important events are the principal reasons driving this growing attachment to mobile connection and social media usage while on holiday.

One in three Indian travellers relied on social media to plan their last trip, with a majority of them using it to see pictures and videos of where they’re going, get recommendations, find out what to do and check out the travel destination and look for bargain deals.

According to the Travel Sentiment Survey done in August this year, half of the people conceived the current performance of the Indian economy as poor, and others believing that it would stay that way till the end of the year or further weaken. Still, the intention to travel remained strong, with 41 %  respondents wanting to take more holidays in 2013 as compared to 2012.

lDomestic holidays held steady:  Plans for domestic holidays showed no detraction from traveller’s estimates for 2013 taken at the beginning of the year, indicating that domestic vacations stayed stable. Providing that little extra impetus to domestic travel, 19 per cent of the  respondents said that they replaced their international holiday with a domestic one in lieu of the staggering fall in rupee value.

l Foreign holidays: Foreign holidays saw a marginal dip but traveller sentiment stayed optimistic on heading overseas for vacation. 29 per cent of the respondents believed they would end up taking more international holidays in 2013 compared to their foreign vacations last year. However, 62 per cent of the people still claimed to undertake international travel in 2013.

l Inflation, falling Rupee value and high airfares seemed to be primary factors impacting holiday budgets, but resilient travellers choose to revise and not refrain from holiday plans. Even with more travellers estimating their holiday spend to increase over last year, 75 per cent of those surveyed modified their holiday plans and not abandoned them.

Romantic Holidays

While a romantic holiday is on every couple’s mind, the frequency of such holidays takes a dive with married couples compared to when one is in a relationship. Both partners are equally involved in planning travel and according the survey, they go for romantic holidays, including honeymoon, to destinations favoured and chosen by both. Among married couples, nearly 66 per cent of the people say that they had planned their honeymoon destination together, while 31 per cent revealed that a particular spouse selected the destination. An overwhelming 80 per cent of those still in a relationship say that they will decide where to travel with their honeymoon with their spouses. 66 per cent of the couples with children have decided to take them along on romantic holidays.  65 per cent of the female respondents have stated that hey had or were open to travelling with their partners before marriage which is a healthy indicator of changing female mindset in the country.