Indians now prefer multiple short breaks: Survey

Mumbai (IANS): Indians are increasingly opting for multiple short breaks rather than the traditional single long annual vacation, reveals a new survey.

Most respondents this year opted for a holiday spanning 3-6 days, as compared to 7-10 days in 2015, showed the latest edition of the "India Holiday Report 2019" by travel and tourism company SOTC Travel.

"As against the single annual vacation, Indians are displaying increasing appetite for multiple short holiday breaks," Vishal Suri, Managing Director, SOTC Travel, said in a statement.

"Whether it is bespoke adventures, solo or escorted tours, Indians are travelling far more than they have ever before and while they will continue to be quintessential value seekers, their passions like adventure or cuisine play a critical factor," Suri said.

The research, however, revealed that people over 56 years of age continue to prefers longer vacations of 7-15 or more days.

International holidays are a mandatory inclusion in the annual travel plan for all age groups, the study said.

Domestic holidays showed a marked growth with 92 percent of respondents taking a domestic holiday compared to 80 percent in 2015.

Leisure combined with spiritual journeys are growing with trips to destinations such as Madurai, Rameshwaram, Dwarka, Shirdi, Pushkar, Mathura, Ujjain and Varanasi witnessing significant growth in 2019. The survey included over 1,100 respondents belonging to four distinct age groups - 25 years and below, 26-35 years, 36-55 years and 56 years and above.

Seeking "relaxation" was the top travel priority for 68 per cent of the respondents.

With Internet penetration on the rise, a majority of the respondents opted for online platforms for their primary research.

While not surprisingly over 70 percent of respondents in the age groups 25-35 and 36-55 years booked their holidays online, an impressive 48 percent of the 56 plus segment also felt comfortable booking online, said the study.

The holiday decision maker is seeing a shift from husband-dominated to joint decision making, said the study, adding that over 80 percent respondents reported using credit or debit card for travel booking and on-ground expenses - discounts and cash backs being a key driver.