Indian Travellers Want to Travel More & Make up Time Lost Owing to COVID-19
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Travel Man

Indian Travellers Want to Travel More & Make up Time Lost Owing to COVID-19

According to a recent Airbnb and YouGov survey anticipating travel trends for 2021, Indian travellers are becoming more intent on nature travel and 49% of travellers said that they would want to travel more to make up for the time lost in 2020. 57% of Indian travellers plans to travel or expect to travel in 2021, indicating that trust in travel is on its way to recovery.

Meaningful travel experiences and connections

The survey also finds that many travellers are now more willing to travel alone and explore the world more wildly. Travellers are now looking at meaningful experiences and fostering meaningful connections, and may prioritise this over mass tourism formats focused on cities.
The trend of hosted travel and local recommendations will also be fuelled by Millennials. 63% of that demographic are open to sharing their unique stays and experiences on social media to inspire travel amongst their peers.
“Be it a workcation, staycation or a weekend getaway, travellers are gravitating towards fuller and richer immersive experiences that allow them to connect, explore and unwind,” says Vipul Prakash, Chief Operating Officer of MakeMyTrip.
One example of this trend would be to swim with dolphins in Jamaica. Research shows that travel and new experiences are some of the most intellectually stimulating events for individuals. Grupo Dolphin has added a fourth habitat in Jamaica, Dolphin Cove Puerto Seco, a getaway surrounded by crystal-clear water, the preserve of four bottlenose dolphins.
Grupo Dolphin declares that the dolphins are protected to the highest possible standards and guests can enjoy a relaxing day on one of the finest beaches in Jamaica at club Puerto Seco Beach, the setting of an unforgettable vacation.
Travellers are looking for exclusive and secluded holidays in the lap of nature. While the vaccine continues to be an encouraging factor propelling growth for industries including travel and tourism, 50% of would-be travellers find nature travel more meaningful, and continue to use nature holidays to relax and recharge, compared with urban spaces. 53% of GenZ and GenX respondents want to travel to any place close to nature, followed by Millennials at 44%. This perpetuates a trend towards slower, sustainable and more regenerative travel.
“With the line between living and travel blurring, people want to experience longer stays,” says Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnb’s general manager for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Travellers are gravitating towards fuller and richer immersive experiences

“Be it a ‘workcation’, ‘staycation’ or a weekend getaway, travellers are gravitating towards fuller and richer immersive experiences that allow them to connect, explore and unwind. More and more people, therefore, will prefer travel that balances their itinerary with a languid pace, affording them the time to explore more while eliminating the stress of rushing around many places to tick the boxes,” says Vipul Prakash, Chief Operating Officer of MakeMyTrip.
The pandemic has impacted the way people approach travel-related decisions, and these new trends are likely here to stay; enhanced transparency around health and safety tops the list of concerns, according to a survey by Booking.com on the future of travel.
Re-instating trust will help travel play a larger role in the recovery of communities across India. Stringent compliance with local regulations and enhanced measures such as an “enhanced cleaning protocol” for local hosts will all drive up confidence to travel.
Many countries have reopened their borders for Indian tourists embarking on non-essential travel since India’s weekly coronavirus positivity rate declined to 2.37%, and the daily positivity rate dropped less than 3% for the 17th consecutive day.

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