The dream destination concept was back in demand with 91 per cent of Indians saying that they would book their dream vacation in 2022. In fact, 87 per cent of respondents want to book a once-in-a-lifetime vacation this year
PRAVASISAMWAD.COM
The recently released American Express Global Travel report has said that 93 per cent of Indian travellers were expected to spend more or the same on travel in 2022 compared to a typical pre-pandemic year. Based on data from seven countries including the United States, Australia, India, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and the United Kingdom, the report stated that the dream destination concept was back in demand with 91 per cent of Indians saying that they would book their dream vacation in 2022. In fact, 87 per cent of respondents want to book a once-in-a-lifetime vacation this year.
The American Express report highlighted that family vacations were a priority for Indian travellers where they could spend some quality time at popular destinations, mostly international after a two-year-long gap. With the availability of boosters and vaccines for kids, families want to travel again.
92 per cent of Indians said they were willing to book a trip for 2022 even if they might have to cancel or modify it later. 80 per cent agreed that they were more likely to take a solo trip in 2022 than they would in 2021.
This year would be a big year for family travel with 94 per cent of the survey respondents saying that they planned to travel more with family in 2022. 89 per cent agreed they were more interested in multi-generational trips than ever before.
The Amex report also mentioned that surveyed Indians agreed there were many ways to have a positive impact on the community while travelling – from eating and shopping at local businesses, to visiting landmarks or heritage sites, to meeting local people and learning about their culture and community. 95 per cent of respondents wanted to travel to destinations where they could immerse themselves in the local culture and 92 per cent wanted the money they spend while traveling to go back to the local community.
“After two tough years, the travel sentiment amongst Indian travellers is upbeat where spending time with loved ones is a top priority. With the resumption of all regular international flights and the upcoming summer holiday season, we are seeing a surge in travel bookings amongst our Cardmembers for both international and domestic travel.”
— Manoj Adlakha, SVP and CEO, American Express Banking Corp, India
With music festivals, sports, and cultural events returning, American Express saw an uptick in consumers booking trips around specific events and experiences. 89 per cent of the respondents did not travel for major entertainment events last year but have plans to return to these types of events this year. 44 per cent were most interested in travelling for personal/family events while 42 per cent want to travel for food festivals or dining experiences.
94 per cent of adult Indians were flexible about their travel plans in 2022. Indians were becoming extra cautious and around 92 per cent of them had planned for a fully refundable trip. When it came to trip activities, Indians were most interested in shopping (50 per cent), walking tours of the city (42 per cent), dining out (40 per cent), and exercising (33 per cent) while traveling in 2022. 94 per cent of Indians were keen to visit destinations that had access to more than one scene (like beach, city, mountain, desert, etc).
Thinking more about 2022 travel destinations, Europe (39 per cent) and Asia (48 per cent) were the continents Indians most want to travel to this year: France (40 per cent), England (31 per cent) and Germany (31 per cent) were the most popular European travel destinations that Indians would like to travel to this year. In Asia, Japan, Singapore, and India itself emerged as the top destinations that Indians would like to travel to in 2022.
Talking about the travel trends in India, Manoj Adlakha, SVP and CEO, American Express Banking Corp, India said, “After two tough years, the travel sentiment amongst Indian travellers is upbeat where spending time with loved ones is a top priority. With the resumption of all regular international flights and the upcoming summer holiday season, we are seeing a surge in travel bookings amongst our Cardmembers for both international and domestic travel.”
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