Dubai Turns Out To Be The Top Destination For Indians Planning Foreign Travel This Year, Reveals Survey

Last week we entered the second half of this year 2023, with summer holidays already behind us and the ongoing monsoon spoiling many people's travel plans.

But it seems that Indians are indeed already planning their vacations for the upcoming months of this year, with Dubai and Goa being their top preferences for trips abroad and domestic trips, respectively.

How Indians Are Planning To Travel This Year

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Nearly half of India's travellers who are going overseas for their vacations in 2023 are willing to spend between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakh for their holidays abroad, while the budget for domestic leisure trips for the majority is between Rs 30,000 and Rs 50,000, according to a survey.

At least 50 percent are planning international trips this year, and two out of three mentioned a total budget between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 6 lakh, according to a survey conducted by Acko, an insurance company, in collaboration with YouGov, a British international Internet-based market research and data analytics firm.

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Dubai & Goa Top Destinations For Indians

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Among the international destinations, Dubai topped the list for Indians, followed by the Maldives, Singapore, Switzerland, and Bali.

Domestically, Goa was the most in demand, followed by Himachal Pradesh (Shimla and Manali), Kerala, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan. Surprisingly, a majority of 37 percent are looking for adventure holidays, followed by scenic mountain and seaside holidays. At least 29 percent prioritise shopping, while 26 percent want to travel to theme parks. Only 16 percent are venturing out for a 'gastronomic holiday, as mentioned in the Business Standard report.

The report surveyed 1,000 respondents across seven major Indian cities between the ages of 24 and 45 and identified key patterns of travel consideration among Indians.

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Indians Loosening Their Purse For Travel

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Given a surge in demand for travelling, the report revealed that around 48 percent of Indians will be allocating an increased budget for their travel in the coming year, and 37 percent will be increasing the duration of the trip.

Also, According to the survey results, 31% Indians will take more domestic trips in 2023¨C24, and 30% will increase the trip duration.

Besides the destinations and budget, the report highlights a significant shift in the behaviour of travellers. In every aspect of planning a trip, cleanliness is of the utmost importance, followed by flexibility and convenience. The respondents also wish to avoid being in crowded spaces.

While planning a trip, the most crucial consideration is the comfort of the journey throughout the trip, where 50 percent of the respondents agreed that the convenience of the travel is paramount, followed by lower ticket prices, flexible ticket booking, and the cleanliness of the flight, train, or bus they are boarding.

Cleanliness of accommodation also ranks highest for the respondents when choosing accommodation, followed by convenience, safety, and accessibility of the accommodation location. As per the report, convenience also topped the list of considerations for the respondent when choosing local activities, with cleanliness coming in a close second.

What do Indians Say About Travel Insurance?

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As per the survey, 67 percent of respondents said that travel insurance is mandatory while planning their trip, while 62 percent knew that travel insurance provided medical and accident coverage, which was also their top priority while considering a policy. 49 percent of travellers are aware of lost baggage coverage, followed by trip emergency coverage, missed or delayed flight coverage, and trip flexibility coverage.

When asked about their preferences when choosing an insurance policy, 48 percent said they prefer comprehensive travel insurance policies. However, 39 percent have also expressed interest in a more flexible and customizable travel insurance policy tailored to their needs. Only 13 percent said they don¡¯t want to take out a travel insurance policy.

45 percent of respondents revealed that they use online portals to do their research and eventually buy a policy, while 43 percent said they consult their travel agents before making the decision. Only 12 percent seek advice from their family and friends while buying a policy.

Planning Trip Offline Vs Online

The survey pointed out that most Indians use a combination of online and offline sources to plan their trip; for instance, 45 percent of respondents use online and offline information to choose local transport to travel to their destination. 44 percent rely on both information streams when deciding on the accommodation, and 43 percent decide how to reach the goal based on their research.

36 percent of Indians want to go on their trip with their friends, 35 percent with their spouse or partner, and only 14 percent want to take a solo trip. A few (4%) also like to travel with their pets.

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