Budget-friendly destinations soar this summer with 51% of families in India indicating value for money as the top travel motivator
Ayodhya leads among domestic destinations, while Sydney takes the top spot among international destinations where Indian families are searching for places to stay this summer
Comfort is also a top priority with 81% of Indian families citing air conditioning as the most important amenity when booking a place to stay
As summer continues to unfold, the desire to travel and explore destinations grows stronger. Leading digital travel platform Booking.com, driven by its mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, reveals how families plan to travel this summer. According to Booking.com search data, accommodations are seeing an 18% increase as compared to last year, while flight searches are seeing an increase of 29%. These figures underscore a strong interest in travel this summer, as families look to make the most of the travel season.
More than half (56%) of Indian families rank spending quality time as the main motivator for travelling this year, followed by discovering new places (47%) and finding time to relax (18%). Family motivators for travel play nicely to this summer’s trending spots, which include destinations famed for their scenic beaches, exquisite local cuisine and enriching opportunities for cultural immersion.
A Notable Uptick in Spiritual Travel
Spiritual travel is one of the top motivators for Indian travellers with destinations like Ayodhya, Vrindavan and Tirumala among the top 10 most searched summer destinations. Beach and mountain getaways continue to captivate travellers, with Panchgani ranking second in domestic destinations, along with destinations like Goa, Chakrata, Srinagar, Mussoorie and Mandarmani.
Top 10 most searched domestic destinations by Indian families (based on y-o-y increase in accommodation searches)
- Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh 6. Tirumala. Andhra Pradesh
- Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra 7. Udaipur, Rajasthan
- Goa 8. Srinagar, Jammu Kashmir
- Chakrata, Uttarakhand 9. Mussoorie, Uttarakhand
- Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh 10. Mandarmani, West Bengal
International Travel Continues
From Sydney to Phu Quoc, Indian families are exploring both short and long-haul destinations this summer. Sydney is the top searched destination by family travellers followed by Osaka and Split for summer 2024.
Top 10 international trending destinations for Indian families (based on y-o-y increase in accommodation searches)
- Sydney, Australia 6. Kathmandu, Nepal
- Osaka, Japan 7. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Split, Croatia 8. Phu Quoc, Vietnam
- Fira, Greece 9. Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Marbella, Spain 10. Sorrento, Italy
Booking.com’s Family Travel Flight Search Data also reveals a 36% increase in Indian families looking to travel to Europe this year, with a notable increase in travel to the UK, Germany, Spain and Ireland followed by Asia (35%) and North America (17%).
Top searched global summer destinations by Indian families (based on y-o-y increase in flight searches)
- UAE – 44%
- UK – 59%
- USA – 7%
- Saudi Arabia – 56%
- Germany 57%
- Canada – 22%
- Thailand – 38%
- Indonesia – 25%
Inside the Family Travel Lens
- 65% of Indian families say they are inspired to travel to try the food seen in a show or movie, highlighting the influence of popular media on travel choices.
- 82% of Indian families are planning to use AI tools as part of their travel planning in 2024, showing a desire to adopt new practices to streamline their trips.
- Travel nannies may start becoming a trend this summer with 57% of Indian families saying they would likely allocate their travel budget to having someone care for their child or children on a trip.
- Comfort is also a top priority with 81% of Indian families citing air conditioning as the most important amenity when booking a place to stay.
