August is filled with celebrations and festivities. This means extended long weekends. Ahead of the Raksha Bandhan, Independence Day and Janmashtami long weekend starting 11th August 2022, we decided to launch our Explore the Unexplored consumer study that reveals short haul trips, budget stays and exploring local destinations will be the top trends this upcoming festive weekend.
As per our study, nearly 60% of surveyed respondents will take leaves at work to make the extended long weekend a mega weekend by clubbing the Raksha Bandhan – Independence Day holidays. Interestingly, a whopping 61% prefer opting for budget hotel stays during short haul vacations, followed by 13% who prefer luxury hotels and 10% opt for local homestays.
While there are certain shifts in the trends, this long weekend, heading out on short trips to local destinations still remains the top choice among travellers (43%). Interestingly, every 1 in 2 travellers said they take a minimum of 2 – 3 short trips a year, followed by about 27% who utilize as many long weekends to travel. The study further highlights that over 20% of respondents would love to travel with family and friends during the upcoming holidays. During short haul trips, a majority of travellers (36%) prefer to sit back and relax at destinations surrounded by nature. Besides this, 26% also prefer taking up adventure sports activities during their mini vacations. 18% respectively prefer visiting historical and monumental sites, as well as exploring new cuisines.
Region-wise top short haul & roadtrip destinations
- Lonavala is Mumbai’s favorite short haul destination, whereas Goa emerged as the maximum city’s top road trip destination
- For Bangaloreans, Mysore is the most preferred short haul destination, however, even they prefer heading out on a roadtrip to Goa
- In Chennai, travellers opted for the beach destination of Pondicherry as their favorite short getaway spot, whereas, the beautiful hillside of Ooty takes the top spot for a scenic road trip
- Delhiites voted Shimla as the best destination for a short trip, however, when it comes to road trip, Leh Ladakh was the destination of choice for the capital city
- In Hyderabad, respondents opted for Bangalore and Tirupati as the top destination for a mini vacation, however, Goa remains the city’s top choice for a road trip
- For the city of Joy – Kolkata, Digha is top short haul destination but when it comes to roadtrips, Leh Ladakh takes the cake as the top road trip destination
Region Favorite short haul destinations Favorite Road Trip destinations
Bangalore Mysore Goa
Ooty Ooty
Wayanad Udipi
Chennai Pondicherry Ooty
Kodaikanal Coorg
Ooty Mysore
Delhi Shimla Leh Ladakh
Manali Jaipur
Uttarakhand Mussoorie
Hyderabad Bangalore Goa
Goa Leh Ladakh
Tirupati Shimla
Kolkata Digha Leh Ladakh
Darjeeling Digha
Puri Darjeeling
Mumbai Lonavala Goa
Goa Lonavala
Alibaug Igatpuri
This mega weekend, traveller intent is at an all time high, consequently leading to high demand at mainstream tourist destinations. In a bid to highlight lesser known destinations, our consumer study sheds light upon the Indian traveller’s intent to explore India’s less explored destinations and accelerate local tourist economies in these regions. As per the study conducted in August 2022, 30% expressed that less explored destinations such as Chakrata in Uttarakhand, Gokarna in Karnataka (19%) and Mawlynnong in Meghalaya (17%) have the potential to become India’s most prominent domestic travel destinations in the next couple of years. Among scenic rural destinations, the survey highlights that Pahalgam in Jammu & Kashmir (16%) is India’s most scenic village across rural India’s less explored destinations. This is followed by Poovar, Kerala (12%), Lachen Village, Sikkim (10%), Lamayura, Ladakh (10%), Khajjiar, and Himachal Pradesh (10%).
Commenting on the survey findings, Shreerang Godbole, SVP – Product & Chief Service Officer said “Travel isn’t about heading out on a vacation once a year anymore. Or only during the festive holiday season. It is much more flexible today than it ever was, all thanks to the shift in trends brought about by flexibility at the workplace and an increased aspiration to take shorter trips on the go. So far, 2022 has been promising for the travel and hospitality industry owing to higher consumer confidence to travel. People are keen on heading out on short vacations every chance they get, especially on long weekends. Interestingly, even during the typically lean monsoon season, Indian travellers expressed high travel intent for intercity roadtrips for about 1 – 3 days. As Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day fall during the same week, OYO has slashed prices on stays for the upcoming long weekend between 08th – 21st August 2022. We hope that travellers make the best of their down time by travelling far and wide across India’s beautiful unexplored destinations while at the same time giving a boost to the local tourism economies across smaller towns and cities”.
On the occasion of Independence Day, we have announced slashed prices on stays with tariffs starting at INR 399/- for the upcoming extended long weekend, for the period between 08th – 21st August 2022. Consumers can also use the ‘Pay At Hotel’ feature to book their stays now and pay at the time of check-in at the hotel.