Holiday season! Goa still favourite; Seychelles top emerging destination

A look at the cheapest to the most preferred holiday destinations this summer. Surveys say that Indians are keen on travelling to European destinations. In India, Goa is the most preferred destination.

Family vacations are seeing an uptick over solo travel segment this year. Also, long-haul destinations have registered higher growth this year compared to short-haul ones  
Top 5 preferred destination types  
29%: Beaches
16%: Forests & mountains
15%: Pilgrimage sites
4%: Deserts
14%: Cultural destinations

Goa still rules
Despite the scorching heat, Goa remains the most popular Indian holiday destination. The average rate per night is around Rs 5,601.
Manali in Himachal Pradesh and Ooty in Tamil Nadu are most preferred hill holiday destinations. The average hotel charges for Manali and Ooty are Rs 4,868 and Rs 4,601. The average week-long expenses per person:
Goa: Rs 39,208
Manali: Rs 34,073
Ooty: Rs 32,206

Value for money
Among the top listed mainstream domestic places, the cheapest destinations are Puri in Orissa and Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu, followed by Gangtok in Sikkim.  The average rate per night in Puri and Kodaikanal is around Rs 4,062. The charges in Gangtok are around Rs 4,401.

Offbeat destinations
According to the survey, many travellers are choosing lesser crowded destinations that are still offbeat such as Neil Island (Andaman & Nicobar Islands), Lachung (Sikkim), Pothamedu (Kerala) in India.
The cheapest destinations in this segment are: Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu): Rs 2,753; Digha (West Bengal): Rs 3,134; Pelling (Sikkim): Rs 4,067.

Destination Europe
Many holidaymakers are making this year a summer of international holiday with overseas bookings up by 56% and average spend rising by 25%. After Europe, Bali and Phuket remain the most popular international destinations.
In Europe, London and Paris are the top destinations for long-haul trips, while Rome, Toronto, Amsterdam and Istanbul are the top growing international destinations this summer.
Besides, trips to Norway, Hungary and even Iceland are high on demand.

Budget going down
The survey says that the economical budget trips to several European locales are emerging as good options for travellers. Istanbul, which is the second top-trending destination, has seen a price drop as high as 95 per cent compared to the average trip cost. Milan in Italy also saw a drop of 37 per cent in the average trip cost.

Emerging destinations
Among the emerging destinations this season, Mahe Island in Seychelles on Indian Ocean topped the list. The average stay charges at top hotels there are Rs 25,405. Others in the list are, Flic-en-Flac in Mauritius, Bora Bora in Tahiti in French Polynesia and Nong Thale in Thailand. The average hotel charges ranges between Rs 9,535 and Rs 51,344.