INDIA, New Delhi: As the population across the world continues to get jabbed, travelers have begun boarding flights and checking into hotels among a lot more movement. Commemorating World Tourism Day 2021, OYO released interesting insights on global consumer travel and booking trends in its Unlocking Travel Report 2021. As several countries open up their borders to welcome travelers once again, the company’s analysis captures top global travel trends and the most sought-after leisure destinations around the world.
Read Also: Post-Pandemic Travel Trends
Strong signs of wanderlust around the world:
Long weekends, short breaks, local experiences
According to its data on travel preferences across different geographies, in the UK, there’s a high preference for travel over short weekend breaks, followed by school holidays and business trips. Americans, on the other hand, choose to explore local destinations and new experiences, followed by solo travel. It is also observed that in the USA, hygiene and cleanliness are a top priority for travelers.
When it comes to Southeast Asia, with lockdowns partly relaxing in Indonesia, there’s a jump in SME and essential travel across business cities such as Jakarta, Bandung, among others. In Malaysia, the company has observed a surge in searches for local tourist destinations such as Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. As the lockdown continues in Malaysia, the rise in searches indicates people’s aspiration to travel once the country opens up for tourists.
Indians love their long weekends
In India, Goa, Jaipur, followed by the hill stations of Manali, Ooty, and Mysore are top-ranked leisure destinations among travelers. According to OYO’s consumer survey, 37 percent of travelers have a preference for mountains, 33 percent for beaches in India. The remaining 14 percent prefer visiting motor-able places (or road trips), followed by heritage cities and pilgrimages. In India, vaccinated staff and sanitisation protocols at properties are the top two factors that consumers keep in mind before deciding their next travel destination and accommodation.
During the Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, and Dussehra long weekends, it saw a spike in bookings for leisure destinations. Ganesh Chaturthi’s travel demand was mainly driven by Jaipur, Pondicherry, Ooty, and Mysore.
It is also observed that approx. 57 percent of travelers prefer making bookings closer to the travel day. This is a striking shift from the pre-COVID era when travel was extensively planned and bookings were made weeks or even months in advance.
India’s Top Leisure Destinations
* Goa
* Jaipur
* Manali
* Agra
* Mysore
* Shimla
* Ooty
* Udaipur
* Lonavala
* Pondicherry
Seaside destinations and unique experiences, the British love their holidays
In the UK, the company’s booking trends for September reveal that the British are heading to the capital city of London, followed by Bath, a well-being destination, mainly known for its beautiful ancient Roman Baths. The British are also traveling to tourist hotspots such as Blackpool, Scotland, and Great Yarmouth. Blackpool and Great Yarmouth are essentially seaside resort towns, whereas Scotland is famous for its scenic highlands and mountains. As per advance booking trends in the UK, Christmas, New Year, Black Friday, and Boxing Day are the most sought-after long weekends for travel for the British.
UK’s Top Leisure Destinations
* London
* Bath
* Blackpool
* Scotland
* Great Yarmouth
City skylines and sandy beaches, a perfect American holiday
In the USA, big cities and coastlines dominate travel preferences. As travel opens up across the country, Americans are heading to New York, Hawaii (3 islands), Las Vegas, Orlando, and Key West. This list indicates that American travelers have a strong preference for lively nightlife, amusement parks, entertainment hotspots, and beaches. Based on its advance booking data between October and December 2021, Americans are looking forward to traveling on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve long weekends.
America’s Top Leisure Destinations
* New York
* Hawaii
* Las Vegas
* Orlando
* Key West
Spontaneous travel plans, summer, and more – here’s how Europeans travel
As per its booking data between August – September 2021, Europe saw strong signs of travel bounce back led by Summer travel demand. Across Europe, the Baltic Sea Region in Germany, a popular vacation spot (also referred to as the German Riviera) was the most booked destination over the summer season. This was followed by the sandy beach town of Blavand in Denmark, North Holland in the Netherlands, Luxembourg in Belgium, and Salzburg, Austria.
Based on advanced booking data between October – December 2021, Europeans are planning their travel around the upcoming autumn break in October and the Christmas week. The data highlights that in the Christmas week of 25th December, Salzburg and Tyrol in Austria are the most booked destinations. With the autumn break just around the corner, Europeans are heading to Blavand and North Holland. While some users have planned their travel with advance bookings, over the past month, OYO has observed that a majority of bookings are last-minute (bookings within 15 days of arrival) across Europe, indicating the shift in consumer mindset, wherein consumers plan their travel closer to the date, largely depending on the factors surrounding the pandemic.
Europe’s Top Leisure Destinations
* Baltic Sea Region, Germany
* Blavand, Denmark
* North-Holland, the Netherlands
* Luxembourg, Belgium
* Salzburg, Austria
