Non-hotel accommodations see an increase in preferences amongst Indian travelers in 2018

Mumbai, December 27th, 2017: As 2017 nears an end, Booking.com the world leader in booking accommodations online with over 1.5 M choices of incredible places to stay, conducted a survey amongst 4,000 Indian travelers for upcoming travel trends in 2018. The survey highlights the travel, accommodation, destination and service preferences of Indian travelers that they would take into consideration while planning their trips in 2018.

Be it planning a beach holiday or a road trip, some of the key travel trends that Indian travelers have shown preferences towards include the following:

• Since Indians are known to be traditional, travelling with the family, partner or spouse will continue to be a trend in the coming year. 50% of Indians travelled with their partners, spouses or families for their holidays in 2017.

• Another trend which saw an upswing this year and which will continue well into 2018 was the preference to travel with a group of friends. In 2017, 25% of people travelled with their friends and this figure is set to increase to 32% in 2018.

• Travelers from the state of Orissa will continue to be experimental and in 2018 they will still be open to travelling with groups of people who they have never met before.

• As far as solo travel is concerned, it will go down on priority of Indian travelers as only 21% of travelers have shown propensity towards travelling solo next year. In comparison, traveling solo was a big draw this year with 28% of Indians travelled solo giving them the thrill to discover the local flavor of a place, making new friends and adventure into the unknown.

• Asia, Europe, North America and Australia will continue to be a big draw for Indian travelers in 2018 while planning their trips. Indian travellers have always showcased a propensity towards these destinations as they include some of the key destinations that are popular amongst Indian tourists.

• Traditional accommodation preferences such as hotels, cottages and resorts will continue to be popular options for Indian travelers in 2018 as well.

• Increasingly, Indian travelers are showing preferences towards non – hotel and eco-friendly accommodation options. Villas, B&Bs, apartments, houseboats and homestays are some of the accommodation options that travelers are willing to book for their upcoming trips.

• In terms of activities, beach holidays and shopping trips will continue to be popular in 2018. Exploring the local cuisine, drinks and Safari holidays are the emerging trends that are attracting the interest of Indian travelers with 76% stating that they are willing to try as many activities as possible while visiting a new location.

• With regards to the travel wishlist for 2018, Indian travelers would like to see one of the wonders of the world followed by a world-famous theme park and indulge in extreme adventure.

On the survey, Mr. Vikas Bhola, Head of Indian Sub-Continent, Booking.com, said, “Indian travelers are increasingly experimenting with their holiday options. They are showing interest in a lot of unique accommodation options as well as activities which gives them a taste of the local flavor. Since the Indian economy is booming, the spending on travel has also increased and Indians are planning their trips more in detail which is reflecting in some of the trends that are upcoming in 2018. Keeping a close eye on these changing patterns, Booking.com is staying ahead of the curve by diversifying our inventory of property partners, providing travelers the option to plan and book their trips based on their interests and personalized in destination experience at the click of a button.”