More Indians look for exclusive and premium travel ahead of festive season

Ahead of the upcoming festive season, Indians are displaying an increased appetite for exclusive and premium travel experiences, say travel companies. According to The India Holiday Report by Thomas Cook India and its group Company, SOTC Travel, Indians are becoming increasingly discerning travellers with around 78 per cent of them displaying an increased appetite for premium and experience led travel and higher spends.  

Thomas Cook and SOTC have launched Private Journeys that are designed to target HNIs, multigenerational families, ad-hoc groups of friends, and honeymooners/couples. “Indians are displaying an increased appetite for exclusive and premium experiences. Our Private Journey portfolio is hence aimed at addressing unique preferences of our discerning customers. These personalised tours are a hybrid between a group tour and a self-drive holiday with an expert local chauffer—making them a perfect option for an in-depth exploration. These tours are fully customisable, private holidays that empower customers to design their holiday, their way,” Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Limited said.  

For travel and tourism players, including hotel chains and ticketing platforms, festive season is a critical time to leverage the growing travel appetite. “The festive season is a significant period for the industry to capitalise on the increased travel demand. At Radisson Hotel Group, we have witnessed a double-digit growth in demand compared to last year with strong trends for both leisure and city destinations,” Zubin Saxena, Managing Director & Area Senior Vice President, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group said. 

He adds that the demand for differentiated experiences picking up significantly, consumers are now willing to spend on premium and luxury accommodations. “We are optimistic that the upcoming festive season along with the high pent-up travel demand will propel further growth of the industry,” he said. 

According to MakeMyTrip, Indian travellers this year continue to focus on experiences, taking advantage of extended breaks and long weekends. “At the same time, the Indian traveller is becoming more prudent, booking much earlier than before, to ensure they are able to make the most out of a budget. The booking for bundled products (holiday packages) during the forthcoming festive season, with an advance purchase window of 3-4 months, now contributes 12% of overall bookings, doubling from 6% last year,” Saujanya Shrivastava, Chief Operating Officer of Flights, Holidays & Gulf Cooperation Council at MakeMyTrip said. 

During the festive season, Shrivastava adds, the share for domestic and international destinations remains largely the same as last year. “Top preferred destinations for holiday packages in India this year include Goa, Kerala, Kashmir, Andamans, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and destinations in the North East, with Himachal Pradesh dropping off the most preferred list compared to last year. Internationally, Indians are choosing Thailand, Dubai, Vietnam, Bali, Sri Lanka, and select European destinations served by direct flights,” Shrivastava says.