Gurugram, India. 22 April  2024. From Backpackers to Bon-Vivants – and everything in between – Indian travellers are not just reshaping the realm of domestic tourism but also commanding an increasingly important role in the ambit of international travel, leaving no corner of the globe too out of reach.  Taking insights from travel searches by its 100M+ annual active users, MakeMyTrip has put together some of the top behaviours of Indian travellers it the first edition of its India Travel Trends Report. Insights include where, when and how India travels, top trends from millions of journeys – both from a national and a region-wise perspective.

Rajesh Magow, Co-founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip said, “Understanding the evolving travel behaviours of Indian travellers is essential to help shape the future of tourism, both domestically and globally. MakeMyTrip’s India Travel Trends Report highlights some the latest essential trends. As India emerges as a formidable force in the tourism sector, these insights can help bridge the demand and supply gaps in the travel and hospitality space. This means crafting policies, identifying destinations, and creating experiences that resonate with the traveller’s unique travel preferences and aspirations. Recognizing and catering to each traveller’s diverse behaviour will not only enhance travel experiences but also contribute significantly to the growth and development of the tourism industry.” 

Some Key Insights from the report are as below – 

WHERE INDIA TRAVELS

  • Number of people taking more than 3 trips per year has grown by 25% in 2023 as compared to 2019.
  • Tier-2 and tier-3 cities are embracing spiritual journeys, with searches for destinations with or around religious spots growing 97% in the last two years. 
  • Searches for Ayodhya grew by 585%, Ujjain by 359% and Badrinath by 343% in 2023 as compared to 2022.
  • Weekend getaways continue to curry favour with Indian travellers – Searches for Jim Corbett grew by 131% in 2023 as compared to 2022; Ooty and Munnar are other favourites in this context.
  • 30% all international travel searches from India are for Dubai, Bangkok and Singapore while London, Toronto and New York are the most searched long-haul destinations. 
  • Searches for emerging international destinations grew by multi-fold in 2023 – hot favourites include Hong Kong, Almaty, Paro, Baku, Da Nang and Tbilisi.

WHEN, WITH WHOM AND HOW INDIA TRAVELS

  • Family vs Solo – Family travel bookings surged by 64% in 2023 as compared to 2022, followed by solo traveller booking growth at 23% for the same comparative period.
  • Flight booking preferences –
    • 50% of all domestic flyers pick flights between 9am and 6pm irrespective of destination or origin. 
    • A significant portion of travel bookings in India are made spontaneously, with 46% of domestic flights booked less than a week before the travel date. In contrast, about half of all international bookings are made at least two weeks in advance.
    • Only one-third of international bookings are made more than a month before the travel date, suggesting a flexible approach to international travel planning among Indian travellers.
    • Women prefer to pre-book window seats, while men pick aisle seats.
    • Tomato Cucumber Cheese Lettuce Sandwich is the most ordered in-flight meal on domestic flights.
  • Accommodation booking preferences –
    • 56% of domestic leisure hotel bookings on the platform are made less than a week before the day of travel.
    • 33% of international hotel bookings are made at least 30 days before the date of travel.
    • Alternative accommodations on the platform recorded 24% growth in bookings in 2023
    • For Hostels and Apartments, the preference is for those less than INR 2,500 per night but for Villas, it is higher. 
    • Close to 20% of family travellers searched for properties with tariffs over INR 10,000 per night.
  • Payment Preference – UPI is the most preferred payment method for booking travel, making close to 40% of all transaction types, followed by use of credit cards. Credit card is the most used payment mode for high value transactions such as for booking international hotels and flights. This can be attributed to the benefits associated with credit card payments.
  • The gift of travel – Wedding gift cards in the denominations of INR 5000 and 10000 are the most gifted. 1 out of 2 travel gift cards being purchased are being gifted as wedding shagun.

ANNEXURE – City-specific insights

DELHI-SPECIFIC INSIGHTS AT A GLANCE

  • Rishikesh, Amritsar are some of the most searched destinations
  • Travellers prefer flights between 12 PM and 6PM
  • Travellers over-indexed on booking domestic flights less than a week ahead of travel date
  • Travellers showcase higher intent for pre-booking meals while traveling International
  • Northern states have a higher preference for Hostels
  • Almost half of all domestic travellers book a room with breakfast and a major meal

 

MUMBAI-SPECIFIC INSIGHTS AT A GLANCE 

  • Goa, Pune, are some of the most searched destinations
  • Travellers prefer flights between 12 PM and 6PM
  • Travellers showcase higher intent for pre-booking meals while traveling International
  • Maharashtra has the highest share of domestic hotel searches overall – highest preference for Villas
  • More than half of domestic hotel bookers book room with breakfast; internationally they prefer room only

 

KOLKATA -SPECIFIC INSIGHTS AT A GLANCE 

  • Digha, Mandarmani are some of the most searched destinations
  • Travellers have a higher proclivity to book flights over 3 months in advance for both international and domestic
  • Travellers have a higher preference for booking in-flight meals for domestic
  • Eastern states have a higher preference for Hotels
  • Approximately half of travellers prefer room only for domestic hotel bookings
  • 60% of international hotel bookers prefer room with breakfast

 

CHENNAI-SPECIFIC INSIGHTS AT A GLANCE 

  • Madurai, Pondicherry are some of the most searched destinations
  • Travellers prefer flights between 6PM to 12AM
  • Travellers over indexed when it comes to booking international flights 30 days in advance
  • Travellers most actively pre-select seats for domestic and international flights
  • Travellers have a higher preference for booking in-flight meals for domestic
  • Southern states have a higher preference for alternative accommodations
  • Maximum preference for room only bookings for international hotels

 

BANGALORE-SPECIFIC INSIGHTS AT A GLANCE 

  • Mysore, Coorg, Mangalore are some of the most searched destinations
  • Travellers prefer flights between 12AM – 6AM
  • Travellers most actively pre-select seats for international flights
  • Travellers have a higher preference for booking in-flight meals for domestic
  • Bangalore has a higher preference for villas while traveling domestically

 

HYDERABAD-SPECIFIC INSIGHTS AT A GLANCE

 

  • Vishakhapatnam, Tirupati are some of the most searched destinations
  • Travellers prefer flights between 6AM and 3PM
  • Travellers over-indexed on booking domestic flights in less than a week and international flights 30 days ahead of travel date
  • Travellers most actively pre-select seats for domestic flights
  • Southern states have a higher preference for alternative accommodations
  • Approximately half of domestic travellers prefer room only