Recent surveys map the travel preferences of Indians describing them as the most adventurous travellers. Team Viva reports
Bus travel is back for weekender trips among smart Indians if the journey involves manageable hours. And when it comes to the Asia-Pacific region, Indians appear to be the most adventurous. These findings are part of two surveys which were released as part of World Tourism Day yesterday.
Published on the World Tourism Day, the two latest surveys seeks to uncover insights into traveller preferences and habits, from their content consumption patterns to their travel must-dos and number of consumer propensities with respect to journeying by different modes of transport. In country as diverse as India, there are numerous destinations that one can not see in their entire lifetime. People who have lived most of their life here and have travelled widely are still amazed by the list of unexplored places in this land of god and goddess.
India’s leading bus booking platform Travelyaari published a significant study which maps the travel preferences of Indians. Based on interaction with a sample size of 500 customers*, the survey sheds light on a number of consumer propensities with respect to journeying by bus. The respondents belonged to a diverse demographic and hailed from cities as different as Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. Important findings and insights were uncovered during the survey. The survey pointed on time being a crucial factor when it comes to plan a journey. While some want the time spent in a vehicle to be as short as possible, others believe in enjoying the journey as much as the destination.
The survey revealed that if the duration of a journey is between 5-12 hours, 76% of travellers in India choose bus transport. Essentially, for shorter trips, road remains the preferred option across the country. Of the customers surveyed, almost 60% were a part of a family with1 child and 40% had 2 children. Transport choices also seem to be dictated by the availability of additional incentives. Apart from regular discounts, online bus booking is highly influenced by ease-of-use and loyalty points offered with 57% respondents marking offers and ease of use as their primary incentive. It has been observed from the findings that the respondents from different segments prefer to travel by bus when it is an overnight journey to visit their native place and tend to prefer bus travel because of the comfort and ease of booking.
The questionnaire also included inquiries about the participant’s personal details, such as age, gender and profession. 55% of the participants of the survey were private sector employees and software engineers who used bus for both short weekend travel to visit family and business travel displaying the high demand for comfortable and swift travel especially for short distance.
Further, the survey included questions regarding the preferred leisure activity of respondents, which revealed that 52% customers chose to watch TV and movies to relax and unwind during their road journeys. lCD/lED screens on seat backs, as is the case in many airlines and Wi-Fi-routers would, thus, be good additions to the value offered by the service to travellers.
The verdict seems to be that the Indian customer does indeed prefer travelling by bus, due to the flexibility offered in terms of tickets being available very close to date of the journey, and the range of options available to suit different requirements and budgets.
Another survey by a Global travel search engine, Skyscanner of over 8000 travellers across 10 Asia Pacific (APAC) countries including over 1100 Indian respondents, the survey deep dives into the travel content preferences and habits of travellers. It further reports Indians as most adventurous travellers in Asia-Pacific region.
Experiencing destinations as a local is high on the to-do list for APAC travellers. Specific to Indian travellers, the survey reveals 21 per cent Indians consider themselves bargain hunters in tandem with Aussies (24%), Kiwis (26%), Filipinos (24%) and Koreans (39%). Also, debunking popular belief that food and shopping are at the heart of holiday activities; eating and drinking topped the to-do list for 10% of APAC travellers, while shopping was a priority for a mere 5%. In terms of the type of content that inspire to travel, ‘photo galleries’ are a clear winner at 25% for most APAC travellers, followed by ‘top 10 lists’ (21%) and 'travel feature articles’ (19%). Indian travellers on the other hand are most inspired by 'top 10 lists' (24%) followed by city guides (20%) and traveller reviews (20%).
On an average, 1 in 5 respondents in APAC categorised themselves as Planners, ensuring every detail and activity of their holiday is planned out. Malaysians led the way (29%) as the biggest planners, with Singaporeans and Indonesians following closely at 27% and 26% respectively. Indians scored less in comparison with only few planners (18%).
It further revealed that Indian women travellers are the unmatched travel experts (7.29%), ahead of the men (5.31%). Women (8.28%) were also found out to be the ultimate tourist as their fear of missing out (FOMO) superseded the men's (3.60 %). Also, at 35%, the APAC traveller’s preference is for indulging in the same kinds of activities that locals would. Adventure and nature were next up, at 30% Indian vacationers lead the pack with their extreme fondness for outdoor experiences (45%). While almost half of Malaysian travellers (48%) and 39% of Singaporean travellers prefer local experiences, Thais don’t take too much to them (13%), fancying adventure and nature above all (28%).
According to the survey, most APAC travel enthusiasts read or watch travel-related content before they sleep (36%). In a surprise revelation, Indian travellers are more likely to dig into travel content while at work (36.7%), followed by bedtime reading (27.3%) and are least plugged in while commuting to work/school (21.3%).
While a whopping 84% of APAC respondents seek out travel content on social platforms compared to other channels, less than a quarter (23%) said they would definitely share a post on their social networks. The survey also found that males are more likely to share travel content compared to their female counterparts (60% versus 40%).
Indian women travellers yet again take the lead being most inspired by travel articles and traveller reviews in equal measure (11.25%). On the contrary, the Indian male traveller is not as enthused with traveller reviews (8.37%) and travel feature stories (6.6%).A majority of APAC travellers consumed travel content to get inspiration (39%) on where to go and what to do, while discovering travel hacks and tips came a close second (33%). When it comes to trusted sources of travel advice, APAC travellers are most likely to tap on families and friends (49%).
A majority of travelers from Philippines (36%), Hong Kong (35%), Korea (44%) and Taiwan (40%) sought out travel content to get travel hacks and tips above all else. Indians use travel content to plan where to go and what to do next (46%).
On the other hand, Indonesian travelers were most likely to be on the lookout for good flight and hotel deals. That a picture paints a thousand words rings true for most APAC travellers; 1 in 4 respondents said Travel Photo Galleries, more than any other content format - Travel City Guides (18%), Top 10 lists (21%), and Travel Feature Articles (19%) - would inspire them to travel.