Indicating an intent to travel, USA, Russia and Maldives are among the top 3 most searched international destinations for August 2021 as Indians hope for an ease in international travel restrictions revealed a survey by Booking.com. Closer to home, in addition to metro cities, travellers are looking forward to enjoying nature and escaping to the outdoors - searching for leisurely destinations like Lonavala and Leh which are amongst the top most searched domestic destinations by Indian travellers in August 2021.
With a bank of accrued vacation days and restrictions finally starting to ease in India and other parts of the world, travellers are looking to escape their lockdown surroundings.
Destination preferences for international travel:
With hopes for an ease in international travel restrictions, especially for fully vaccinated travellers, Indians have shown interest in travelling to international destinations. For travellers who are open to flying and cross borders again, USA, Russia, Maldives, Switzerland and Qatar are amongst the top 5 most searched destinations for outbound travel as per the list which includes
1. USA
2. Russia
3. Maldives
4. Switzerland
5. Qatar
6. Canada
7. UK
8. Mexico
9. Armenia
10.France
Domestic travel preferences
Domestic travel continues to remain prevalent with many Indian travellers looking forward to exploring their own country and choosing destinations closer to home. Booking.com data backs this, with earlier research revealing 52 percent of Indian travellers are looking forward to exploring their home country this year. Metro cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru continue to be the top searched destinations. Closer-to-home and leisurely destinations such as Lonavala, Jaipur and Leh are also some of the top searched destinations.
1. New Delhi
2. Mumbai
3. Lonavala
4. Bengaluru
5. Chennai
6. Kolkata
7. Jaipur
8. Hyderabad
9. Leh
10.Udaipur
Top searched domestic destinations by Indian travellers in the month of August 2021*: