While China is the ‘emerging country’ in the list of Indian travellers, lesser-known destinations like Ambergris Caye island in Belize are being sought after
It seems that most Delhiites travel to shop. At least this is what the latest study by a travel site suggests. As per the study by TripAdvisor, Dubai is the favourite destination for Delhiites and Thailand is the most preferred country. The number of Indians planning to travel abroad in 2014 has gone up by 21 per cent as compared to last year.
The findings are based on the website traffic during the period January 1 to June 30, 2014. The results show that Indians prefer travelling closer home with Asian cities dominating the top 20 destinations and Asia being the top continent. US takes number one spot in the top countries category. The data reveals interesting findings in the emerging destinations and emerging countries categories with Ambergris Caye, Belize topping the list in the former category and China leading in the latter, respectively.
“From destination preferences to cuisine choices to what Indian travellers like to do while on holiday, our outbound travel lookback for the first half of 2014 reveals a lot about the way we travel. With interest in destinations such as Belize, Brazil, Tokyo and Bhutan growing at a rapid pace and alternate forms of accommodation such as vacation rentals and B&B’s being used while on a foreign vacation, Indian travellers definitely seem to be coming of age,” says Nikhil Ganju, country manager, TripAdvisor India.
looking at the accommodation space, it seems Indians are moving away from being traditional holiday goers with respect to lodging preferences. The global statistics show that almost 30 per cent favour options such as bed and breakfast, vacation rentals versus hotels (70 per cent). This trend is further reflected in the global room rates data with almost 50 per cent outbound Indians opting for rooms up to Rs 5,000.
When it comes to recreational activities at the holiday destination, global numbers indicate that majority of Indian travellers prefer outdoor activities. Almost 30 per cent look at outdoor activities followed by cultural activities at nearly 25 per cent. Outdoor emerges number one in the top attractions category in US and Thailand as well, however, in the UK it is sightseeing that takes the top spot (14.68 per cent) followed closely by cultural (14.16 per cent) and then outdoor (12.96 per cent).