Velocity MR study reveals that 50% Indians prefer beach vacations

Hyderabad: As 2019 almost ends, people are getting ready for their annual travel vacation, and this creates an opportunity for service aggregators to package the tours. Velocity MR, a leading market research and analysis company, conducted a study to understand the plans of Indian travellers during the year-end. The company held the survey among 2,100 respondents and secured noticeable Indian urban communities including Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Chennai.

The study uncovered what people like and where one would want to go during this season. A majority of respondents (51%) incline towards seashores such as Goa, Pondicherry, Gokarna, Kovalam, and so forth, for their year-end occasion. North Indian areas like Kashmir, Ladakh, Shimla, and others trail second. Meanwhile, 25% of respondents noted that they lean toward Indigo airlines for their year-end plans.

The study shows that 60% of people consider climate as a critical factor when arranging a vacation. Velocity MR reviewed for the third year in a row to study moving patterns in this portion for a better understanding of people’s plans.

“Increase in internet and smartphone users has made it easy to make immediate travel plans. MakeMyTrip, Trivago and Goibibo are the top three apps used by people to check and compare prices for hotel bookings. Our study also shows that people prefer card payments and UPI/Wallet transactions for payment. Apps like Google Maps, TripAdvisor and Uber, are typically used as guidance for local travelling,” added Jasal Shah, Managing Director and CEO of Velocity MR.

Interestingly, the majority prefer to travel with their friends/family or partner/spouse irrespective of going within or outside India. “Travelling solo is least preferred for the year-end holiday. Overall safety, food, weather and budget are the key factors when planning a holiday,” he added.

For the year-end vacation, 51% of respondents prefer beaches whereas 8% of them would prefer going to events within India such as Rann Utsav. One-fifth of respondents prefer attending festivals like Sunburn Festival Goa, Hot Air Balloon Festival, and Winter Festivals.

People commonly use apps such as MakeMyTrip, Yatra and Cleartrip for booking flights. Travellers seek shopping, nightlife and leisure experiences outside India. Primary choices include a less crowded and peaceful place while choosing a holiday destination.

On average, a person travelling within India would spend around Rs 55,000, whereas a person going outside India would spend around Rs 92,000.