Year-End Travel: Indians prefer tried-and-tested destinations for year-end travel, says portal

MUMBAI: The top travel destinations among Indian travellers largely remains the same and the trend stayed true this year as well, what with New Delhi and NCR again ending up as the most booked domestic destination in India, said a travel portal which looked at travel behaviour in the year 2023. Delhi was the preferred domestic destination in the year 2022 as well.
Delhi was followed by Goa, the most popular beach destination for Indians.In the third spot was Mumbai, followed by Bengaluru and Chennai. On the international front though there was a bit of shuffle in the top tiers as Thai capital Bangkok leapfrogged Dubai to claim the top spot, according to rankings list released by Agoda. “The rankings with themost booked destinations underscore a distinct inclination among Indians for tried-and-tested destinations, showcasing a preference for all-time favourites that have lots to offer to any type of traveller and no matter how frequently they are visited,” the company said.
“When it comes to international travel choices, Indians consistently favour short haul destinations across the region. Chart topper Bangkok and fifth most popular destination Pattaya are poised to further strengthen their appeal, with the recent announcement of visa-free travel for Indians to Thailand,” it said, adding that the other most popular destinations for Indian travellers are Dubai in second, Bali in third, and Singapore in fourth.
A look at markets booking inbound trips to India for the month of December showed the US at the top of the charts. It was followed by Singapore, Japan, UK and Australia__all destinations from where travellers plan to fly to India this month. The top five destinations that Indians are traveling to during the coming Christmas holidays are Bangkok, London, Singapore, Toronto and Dubai, in that order. “Following the recent lift in visa requirements for Indians traveling to Thailand, our search data reveals an increase in preference to travel to the country. Specifically, in the initial ten days post the announcement, we witnessed a 28% increase in searches compared to the preceding ten days. This surge illustrates the heightened enthusiasm and interest among Indian travellers for this newly easily accessible destination,” said Agoda.
The top five domestic destinations that people from India were searching for a festive retreat were Goa, Pondicherry, Ooty, Munnar and Delhi. “During the holiday season, travellers seek the perfect festive getaway,” said the company adding that the the top domestic searches were done between October 1 and November 21, with check-ins scheduled for December 24 or 25.
Since demand for air travel and hotel accommodation for a year-end getaway spikes with each passing week, booking early is a sure shot strategy to bag economical rates, especially for hotel bookings. In September, the travel portal analysed the average room rates for accommodation available at tourist destinations between 22 – 31 December. It found that in India, Goa was the most affordable tourist destination, with an average room rate of Rs 7,621.
The destinations with the lowest average accommodation rates across the Asia Pacific region were Hat Yai in Thailand, Yogyakarta in Indonesia, Kuching in Malaysia, Dalat in Vietnam, Goa in India, Baguio in the Philippines, Nagoya in Japan, Taichung in Taiwan, Melbourne in Australia, and Busan in South Korea. Average room rates vary from Rs 3,562 in Hat Yai to Rs 13,088 in Busan, it said.