- Uttar Pradesh was the most booked state in 2023, followed by Maharashtra, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.
- Among leisure cities, Jaipur took the lead as the most visited in 2023, with Goa, Mysore, and Pondicherry following suit.
- Puri secured the top spot as the most booked spiritual and pilgrimage destination, followed by Amritsar, Varanasi, and Haridwar
- The report draws insights from OYO’s booking data from its 93 million users across India, UK, US, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the rest of Asia and Europe, spanning from January 1st to December 31st, 2023.
As the year draws to a close, global hospitality technology company OYO has released its year-end annual travel trends index- Travelopedia 2023. Drawing insights from OYO’s global booking data, the report unveils key trends that have shaped travel experiences for its more than 93 million users across India, UK, US, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the rest of Asia and Europe, spanning from January 1st to December 1st, 2023.
India
Hyderabad emerged as the most booked city in India followed by Bangalore, Delhi, and Kolkata. On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh was the most booked state in 2023, followed by Maharashtra, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. Smaller towns like Gorakhpur, Digha, Warangal, and Guntur experienced the highest year-on-year growth in bookings compared to 2022. September 30th, 2023, stood out as the most booked day, while May 2023 claimed the title for the month with the highest bookings. Notably, the period from September 30th to October 2nd recorded the highest bookings among all long weekends in the year.
Among leisure cities, Jaipur took the lead as the most visited in 2023, with Goa, Mysore, and Pondicherry following suit. Hyderabad emerged as the most travelled business city, followed by Bangalore and Delhi. Puri secured the top spot as the most booked spiritual and pilgrimage destination, followed by Amritsar, Varanasi, and Haridwar. Lesser-known spiritual destinations like Deoghar, Palani, and Govardhan also witnessed a significant growth in visitors compared to 2022.
Key highlights:
- The ‘Nearby Button’ was utilized over 360 million times on the OYO App in 2023.
- 68% of users made bookings from the top 3 recommendations on the OYO App, while over 90% booked from the top 10 recommendations.
- Over 1.1 million bookings were made in under 5 minutes on the OYO App.
- OYO’s chatbot YoChat! resolved over 4.3 million queries in 2023
- The OYO app recorded its highest downloads on Saturday, 17th June 2023
Commenting on the global travel scenario, Shreerang Godbole, Global Chief Service Officer – OYO said: “2023 stood out as a distinctive year for the travel industry, representing a potential return to complete normalcy after the challenges posed by COVID. We adapted to our customers’ needs, introducing significant improvements to the customer experience by launching several beneficial features. As remote working and flexibility declined, travellers sought to maximise their vacations and extended long weekends this year. However, the pandemic-induced trend of exploring domestic destinations continues to dominate. Globally, leisure destinations are at the forefront of travel growth, and in India, we also observed a noteworthy contribution from business travel.”
USA
For OYO customers in the USA, the top 5 most travelled states in 2023 were Texas, Oregon, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Florida. Houston, Tulsa, Irving, Oklahoma City, and Wade were the top 5 most travelled cities. 21 July 2023 witnessed the highest number of bookings, while the 4th of July weekend/Independence Day claimed the title for the most booked weekend. Additionally, Tulsa, Orlando, Columbus, Corpus Christi, and Egg Harbor experienced the highest year-on-year growth compared to 2022.
UK
In the UK, bookings increased by 13% in 2023 compared to the previous year. London, Plymouth, Middlesbrough, Sheffield, and Eastbourne emerged as the top holiday destinations of 2023. 26 August 2023 witnessed the highest number of bookings, with the Bank Holiday Weekend (25th to 27th August) claiming the title for the most booked weekend.
Cities such as Eastbourne, Sheffield, Plymouth, Manchester, and Middlesbrough witnessed the highest year-on-year growth compared to 2022. Eastbourne, Plymouth, Folkestone, and Blackpool were the top beach destinations, while Ipswich, Durham, and Edinburgh were the preferred choices for leisure. OYO’s business travellers frequented London, Middlesbrough, Sheffield, and Manchester for work-related travel.
Notably, one guest stayed for 193 consecutive days with OYO in Southport.
Europe:
Between January and December 2023, Europeans have booked more vacation homes outside their own country compared to previous years, however travel to domestic destinations remains key. Salzburg and Tyrol in Austria, West Flanders and Liège in Belgium, Blavand and Marielyst in Denmark, North Holland and Guelders in the Netherlands, and the Baltic Sea and North Sea regions in Germany were the top destinations in Europe for 2023. The longest stay in Europe, spanning 203 days, was booked in Svaneke, Denmark.
Indonesia:
As a favoured beach destination, Indonesia continues to captivate travellers worldwide. Indonesia saw an increase of 52% in booking compared to 2022. OYO’s booking trends reveal Jakarta, Bandung, Bali, Medan, and Yogyakarta as the top five destinations in 2023, while Kabupaten Manggarai Barat experienced the most growth. January 8, 2023, marked the most booked day in Indonesia, with the Eid al-Fitr weekend from April 21 to 24, 2023, turning out to be the most booked weekend.
