Friday 30 March 2012

A Midsummer’s Travel Dream: Indian travellers on holiday high this season


  • 89 percent respondents confirm planning a holiday this summer
  • 74 percent travellers looking to take 2 or more leisure trips in the next 6 months
  • 48 percent travellers open to mystery holiday and 35 percent plan to tread off the beaten track.


Summer of 2012 will witness more leisure breaks and less IPL, more adventure and less email, reveals the annual ‘Summer Holiday Travel Survey’ of TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel site. The survey conducted among over 1500 respondents highlights that 35 percent Indian travellers are ready to head out to offbeat destinations within the country and across the globe. More than 38 percent respondents are willing to spend more than a lakh on summer holidays this year and over 56 percent plan to explore foreign shores!

According to Nikhil Ganju, Country Manager, TripAdvisor India, “It seems like a bustling summer for travellers this year. It is interesting to note  that  more Indian travellers are willing to explore newer destinations and seek more adventure on their vacations.” He further added, “The survey also unveiled interesting insights on women travellers. Traditionally women were mostly travelling with family or spouse, but our survey results show that the Indian woman is ready to go solo with 64 percent female respondents willing to travel alone on leisure. Adventure travel too is gathering steam;  the percentage of travellers opting for adventure activities such as outdoor camping/ rafting/ hiking and a safari/wildlife sanctuary trip has seen a fillip from last year’s survey.”

Places our fellow travellers are heading to!
  • 20 percent of those travelling within India are going to visit at least one of the three destinations: Goa, Kerala and Rajasthan.
  • Among international holiday spots, South East Asian destinations such as Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia emerge as favourites, followed by Australia, UK, and USA etc.
  • Destinations like Kashmir, Port Blair, Spain, Greece, Nepal, Bhutan, Cambodia and Vietnam also emerge as new vacation choices for a few, indicating a  trend to go off the beaten track.
  • Promotional campaigns seem to have influenced choice of destination for many as 30 percent travellers shared that they made the decision to holiday in some destinations after seeing promotional tourism campaigns. The top 3 destinations people decided on visiting after watching the promotional campaigns were Gujarat, followed by Kerala and Madhya Pradesh. Travellers are also showing increasing interest in exploring J&K and the North East.

Log off mail, Log on Facebook
  • Travellers are breaking away from being addicted to work on vacation with 70 percent travellers from key metros saying they will keep away from their office emails and phone calls on their summer breaks. 
  • However, social media addiction has taken over work addiction on holiday, with 46 percent  travellers who will  post regular updates (status, tweets, pictures) to their profiles on FB, Twitter, Flickr etc

Destination Unknown
  • Indian travellers seem to be opening up to new and unique holidays with 48 percent respondents willing to experiment with mystery trips.
  • 50 percent men in India are willing to experiment with mystery holidays this summer compared to 40 percent women.
  • The big surprise is that 65 percent of travellers in the age group of 65+ were game for a Mystery holiday
  • Kolkata strides ahead as the city most willing to go on mystery trips among the six major metros

Women break away solo
  • Setting a new trend, Indian women are ready to head out by themselves on a holiday with 64 percent willing to travel alone on leisure.
  • However, a disheartening trend to note is that only 11 percent women are comfortable with travelling alone only within India; as opposed to 18 percent women who are actually more comfortable travelling only internationally. An indication probably of how safe women feel in the country which is their own, even when compared to unknown international destinations.
  • 49 percent women are planning to splurge between Rs. 50,000 – .2,00,000 on their summer vacation this year.
  • Though only 40 percent women are open to the idea of mystery travel, 67 percent are happy heading to offbeat destinations
  • While women are game for moderate adventure with camping /rafting/hiking and backpacking but not that keen on safari/wildlife trips compared to their male counterparts.
  • Largest percentage of women who would not consider travelling alone are from Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi

Weekend Recess & Pet Peeves
  • 30 percent respondents plan to use the Independence day long weekend for a quick getaway, closely followed by 28 percent who plan to head out on the Good Friday weekend in April.
  • 81 percent travellers were not planning to take their pet along for any holidays. 63 percent among these cited logistical problems of transporting their pets as the biggest deterrent from carrying their beloved pooches on vacation. 
  • Among those who plan to take their pets along for at least one holiday this year 74 percent will take their pets along on their road trips.

IPL – Manoranjan ka Baap no more?
While slightly better than last year, the IPL frenzy doesn’t seem to have caught up this year as well with 72 percent respondents saying they are not excited about IPL matches. Even among those looking forward to the tournament, only 15% plan to travel to catch the game live in any of the cities. Looks like more people are planning exciting journeys across India and abroad during the IPL season as opposed to sitting glued to their TV sets.

HOW THE BIG 6 STACK UP *
  • Chennai has highest percentage of travellers across 6 major metros planning a holiday this summer (94%) 
  • Among the 6 key metros, Kolkata has the highest percentage (17 %) of travellers looking to travel only internationally
  • Kolkata has the highest social quotient with  highest percentage of respondents  looking to post regular social updates while on holiday, followed by Delhi.
  • Among those travelling internationally this summer, Chennai & Hyderabad have highest percentage of travellers for whom it is their first foreign trip
  • Hyderabad, followed by Chennai and Kolkata are top 3 cities with travellers planning to venture to offbeat destinations on holiday this summer.
  • Bangalore leads the adventure trail with highest respondents across cities planning to take a Safari/Wildlife sanctuary or camping/hiking/rafting holiday.
  • 69 percent Mumbai respondents are set to spend between Rs. 50,000-2, 00,000; the highest across 6 metros.
  • Chennai followed by Hyderabad and Kolkata are least likely to plan short breaks over upcoming long weekends holidays.
  • Mumbai, followed by Bangalore and Delhi are least excited about the upcoming IPL season.
  • Chennai could do with some help from Cupid, as the city shows the lowest percentage of respondents going on a romantic or honeymoon holiday this summer. 

Wednesday 21 March 2012

TripAdvisor announces India’s top beaches with Travellers’ choice beach destinations awards


IT’S OFFICIAL! GOA IS INDIA’S BEST BEACH DESTINATION
  • Awards based on reviews and opinions from millions of travellers across the globe
  • 8 out of India’s Top 10 beaches are Goan
  • Candolim ranked No. 7 in Asia’s Best Beaches

TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site today announced the winners of its 2012 Travellers’ Choice® Beach Destination Awards. Running in its second edition globally, the annual awards are based on the millions of valuable reviews and opinions from travellers across India and the world. The awards recognise the best beach locations around the world.
With 8 beaches in the India list, Goa has claimed more than half of the top 10 spots and is crowned India’s best beach destination. The domestic winner Candolim is also ranked No. 7 in Asia’s list of Top 10 beaches.
"Commenting on the significance of awards, Nikhil Ganju, Country Manager of TripAdvisor, India says, “These awards recognise world’s best beach destinations, according to those who really matter - travellers themselves. The list has plethora of options for travellers who are looking for a quick weekend getaway nearby or that perfect tropical retreat in a different country.”

Winning Beaches of 2012: India List
  • Candolim, Goa
  • Havelock Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands
  • Canacona, Goa
  • Salcette, Goa
  • Cavelossim, Goa
  • Varca, Goa
  • Varkala, Kerala
  • Benaulim, Goa
  • Baga, Goa
  • Calangute, Goa

Winning Beaches of 2012: World List
  • Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
  • Palm/Eagle Beach, Aruba
  • Tulum, Mexico
  • Negril, Jamaica
  • Saint Pete Beach, Florida
  • Boracay, Philippines
  • Cancun, Mexico
  • Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
  • Miami Beach, Florida
  • Varadero, Cuba

The complete list of 2012 Travelers’ Choice Beach Destinations can be found at: http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Beaches