We’re all done sitting at home. Done binge-watching. Done scrolling through cringe content across social media. Done with Dalgonas, and so done with challenges. Baking banana bread and taking up painting seem passe too.
Yes. We get you. And that’s why we come bearing some good news.
A little birdy told us that state borders are opening up to welcome tourists once again. Air travel has taken a backseat but on the brighter side, this gives us an opportunity to explore hidden gems across our breathtakingly, diverse country. And that’s exactly what we’re seeing in the past couple of weeks– Indians are increasingly opting for domestic leisure destinations, as a getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life. With Dekho Apna Desh, the Ministry of Tourism has been encouraging Indians to explore the country’s lesser-known destinations. We at OYO, are fully onboard. To help you pick out your next vacation spot without worry, we’ve forecasted ‘India’s Next Destinations’, through a data-backed predictive analysis that brings to light the country’s upcoming leisure destinations for travellers.
Take a look at the map for India’s Next Top Destinations set to become popular tourist hotspots this holiday season:
As a nation in complete lockdown, leisure travel in India took a backseat to business or essential travel in the past couple of months, leaving little room for the redemption of tourist destinations. After patiently waiting for months, travellers are happy to see states reopening for tourists. In fact, to be completely candid, we’re seeing a positive upswing in travel aspirations for the next three months. Through our conversations with consumers, we also realised that 56% of Indians are willing to travel for leisure while 43% will travel only for business. When asked about their next travel destination, most respondents opted for Kerala, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan. Among these, 45% of leisure travelers prefer hill stations like Shimla, Mussoorie while the remaining 55% of leisure travelers prefer non-hill station destinations like Goa, Agra, and Jaipur.
The data further highlights that 56% of Indians are ready to travel via private vehicles to nearby locations, with family or friends, preferably for 1-3 days.
An avid traveller himself, Rohit Kapoor, CEO, India & South Asia, OYO shares, “My family and I recently drove to Jaipur for the weekend. We wore our masks, carried our sanitisers, got tested, and hit the roads. It was a truly refreshing and much-needed break from our daily routines. Like us, there are many who are facing fatigue from unending work from home and chores. Many who need a vacation. This is why we’re seeing positive signs of travel coming back. After spending months under lockdown and restrictions easing across the country, consumers are looking forward to stepping out and exploring new destinations, closer to home, and of course with utmost precautions. While intentions to travel are strengthening, our teams at OYO are working round the clock to also strengthen our offerings, and our value to the consumer.”
He added, “For instance, to ensure we come up with the most useful solutions for travellers, our senior leaders have personally spoken with nearly 2000+ consumers to understand their aspirations and worries, their concerns, and requirements. Through these conversations, we understood that leisure travel is on the rise but consumers are still cautious about sanitisation and regulations, and therefore, we launched Sanitised Stays to increase our standard of hygiene at OYO properties. To make the planning process easier for consumers, we also introduced Travel Assistance on our app to help with COVID-19 testing and state-wise guidelines, therefore, becoming a part of our guests’ journey right from the very beginning.”
With the country’s intent to travel strengthening, our consumer use cases showcase that approximately 80% of Indians planning to travel are searching for sanitised stays, while 46% are seeking regulation-related information to make their decisions. Keeping this in mind, we have launched a one-stop solution for all travel-related assistance on the OYO app in India, including COVID-19 testing with leading ICMR approved pathology labs, visibility to state-wise guidelines, among others. This includes partnerships with Dr. Lal Path Labs, SRL Diagnostics, 1mg, and Indus Health Plus.
