Dubai, Thailand & Maldives top vacationers' lists
With the reinstatement of regular international flight operations, the travel industry has witnessed a push and are expecting 100 per cent recovery in the coming months. After two years of covid induced restrictions, the flights are back on the runway and vacationers are ready to explore different parts of the world once again. The Centre has allowed over 3,200 flights per week from India during this year's summer schedule. This has led to a rise in bookings of popular beach destinations like Dubai, Thailand and Maldives. Indians are looking to escape the scorching heat and enjoy some moments of bliss by the sea.
According to a spokesperson from Yatra.com, the travel industry is looking for a 'significant rebound' in the coming months with International flights reopening. Travellers are looking forward to taking big bucket list trips and are eager to spend money for a relaxing time.
The spokesperson said, "We at Yatra.com have witnessed an uptick in demand and booking enquiries by 20 per cent already. Destinations such as Australia, USA, Canada, Maldives, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand seeing an uptick in travel whereas domestic destinations seeing an increase in booking enquiries include Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Ladakh, Shimla, Kashmir, Goa, Andamans, and Kerala. Travellers are looking at offbeat destinations which provide for unique experiences with accommodation options such as luxury hotels, homestays, exotic beach houses, villas, and resorts to travel to with their friends and family. We at Yatra.com are optimistic that travel will bounce back, and this summer is something to look forward to barring any shift in the pandemic."
Echoing similar sentiments Himank Tripathi, President External Affairs at EaseMyTrip said, "With airlines resuming their regular flight schedules, travellers are once again choosing to visit destinations across the world and within the country as well. The travel sentiment is strong, and we are once again witnessing a rise in demand for hotel and flight bookings. We are witnessing a jump of around 30% for overall travel bookings on a month on month basis. International destinations such as Dubai, Maldives, Sri Lanka, U.S.A and Australia have witnessed the most growth in bookings. Destinations such as Dubai and Sri Lanka have been witnessing a surge in demand, not just for longer vacations, but for short-haul weekend trips as well. Additionally, we have also seen a growing interest in offbeat destinations such as Kenya and Zanzibar. We have also witnessed a 30-40% increase in advance air ticket bookings for the upcoming summer period owing to the pent up demand."
As the summer holiday season approaches, the hill stations in India appear to be on the list of all the vacation goers as well. Cool destinations like Srinagar and Dehradun have seen an upward trend in traveller traffic. Nonetheless, Dubai and Thailand remain the hot spot for people who are looking forward to taking advantage of the International airway being opened.
"As India resumes international travel this month – it is safe to say that pent-up demand for international travel will predominantly drive bookings in the coming months. Current data patterns on the platform indicate that 96% of the searches are for the coming summer holiday season - with Dubai, Thailand, Maldives, Sri Lanka, London, Paris and Amsterdam ranking high on the consideration list of international destinations. Furthermore, booking patterns indicate that travellers are increasingly willing to splurge on stays or accommodations, and on hyperlocal experiences. Many are also actively choosing slow travel leading to long stays when planning their first international trip post the pandemic," said Mr. Vipul Prakash, Chief Operating Officer at MakeMyTrip Limited.
"Dubai and Maldives are the popular destinations for the upcoming summer travel season. March over Jan 2022- International bookings have increased by upwards of 80%," further confirms Cleartrip spokesperson.
While International flights are the first choice for the travellers, rental cars are also witnessing an upward trend. Be it domestic or the international market, the rentals increasingly eased the way tourists explored the places and added to their leisure. Sunil Gupta, MD and CEO, Avis India revealed, "The outbound rentals have seen a significant uptick, clocking an 81% increase, year-on-year. The opening up of international air travel will drive outbound travel further in the weeks to come. The top 3 travel destinations in February, where we witnessed the maximum bookings, were United States with 35% of travellers, followed by France with 17% and UK with 16% of bookings. With the summer vacations and year-end for most academic institutions approaching, we expect a quantum change in both domestic and international travel in near-term."
