Traveller 2.0

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Traveller 2.0

Monday, 21 January 2019 | Team Viva

Traveller 2.0

Exploring new destinations and old linkages, experiencing luxury and adventure, Indians are redefining wanderlust and how. By Team Viva

Travel, the very word conjures up images of golden sand beaches, towering mountains and exotic locales. But then it is no longer about tick marking the must-visits at a destination. The concept is changing and evolving. People want to experience adventure activities that a place can offer specific to the place. There is also ‘bleisure’ (leisure on business trips), which is an ideal way for workaholics to balance work with some leisure or bachelorettes at fancy locales where the brides/grooms can spend some quality time with their friends.

ACTIVITY-BASED

Experts say that the rise of recreation activities during holidays is the most noticeable trend. Through these people make the most of their vacations even if they travel for short breaks. Not surprisingly, the travel companies are viewing it as new opportunities.

They believe that there has been a growth in travellers who are inclined towards new experiences and adventures rather than simply strolling through the markets during their vacation. This in turn has translated into an increase in the average spending. Amd keeping this factor in mind, travel portals are making sure to act as catalyst in encouraging the adventure options for their travellers. For instance, Avis India has come up with self-drive options even in foreign countries to ease the journey. Cleartrip, on the other hand, has partnered with the Hong Kong-based adventure park Klook and is offering packages for activities. Travel company, Tirun is associating with many Indian chefs to offer more elaborated Indian cuisines even outside the country.

“We have noticed that Australia and New Zealand have a beautiful coastline that can only be accessed through the medium of a cruise. Keeping this in mind, a cruise will be launched to cater to this market and its rising demand,” says Naresh Rawal, vice president, sales & marketing, Asia Pacific, Genting Cruise Lines.

INTERNATIONAL IN FOCUS

Experts have also observed a rise in international travels among Indian travellers during the past one year, and believe that they're bound to rise even more.

According to a report by the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), India will account for 50 million outbound tourists by 2020, which is twice the current figures. The average expenditure by Indian outbound travellers on short-haul trips will be about $857 or Rs 61,065 per trip per person, and long-haul trips will be about $1,687 or Rs 1,20,207.

ROAD LESS-TRAVELLED

Karan Anand, head, relationships, Cox & Kings, says  that among international destinations, Northern Europe is becoming the prime travel region for Indian travellers with many less-travelled spots like Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland and Morocco securing a place in their travel maps. Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Laos and South Korea are also luring Indian travellers. In terms of romantic destinations or spots for the newly-weds, the Reunion Island in France is emerging as the ideal vacation spot. In Asia where people were typically travelling to Hong Kong and Malaysia, now they have extended their horizons to Vietnam and Cambodia. Tanzania and Zanzibar in Africa are also the new hotspots.

Vishal Kejriwal, ceo and co-founder of Taxidio also echoes similar observations. “People are shifting from West Europe to East and Central parts of the continent. Malta, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro are trending the most,” says Kejriwal.

Overall among international travel spots, Rawal says, “McLeod islands in Thailand and Southern islands of Japan — Miyakojima and Naha — are now being picked up as hot new destinations specifically in Asia.”

There has been yet another pattern observed for the travellers who don’t step out very frequently or are first-time travellers. Anand says, “First-time travellers usually pick conventional destinations or the ones that are not very new to people’s knowledge. It is specifically the segment of experienced travellers who look for newer destinations, be it personal vacation with family and friends or for business travel.”

EXPLORING OLD ROADS

While going to unknown destinations is a must-do, exploring back in time is also the way to go. The old Silk Route is an experience that the traveller wants to undertake. Central Asian countries are like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and more are reviving the old linkages and the industries associated to it. Florian Sengstschmid, CEO of Azerbaijan Tourism Board, says, “Travelling from Baku, the capital, you can go to the other end of the country along this ancient road. There are many houses that still use the old methods for printing on silk or even the way they use metals. An intrepid and curious traveller with the help of a local guide can have an enriching experience.”

BLEISURE

If looking at it categorically, Middle-East countries like Qatar and Oman have become top picks for MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) due to a rise in work or business trips, says Anand.

It is also corroborated by a report by Forbes which says that 87 per cent of business travellers are likely to mix business and leisure on the same trip. However, the irony is that 92 per cent of respondents still admitted to doing some work on dedicated leisure vacations, while 56 per cent of travellers with children included family on business trips.

LUXURY ON CALL

Domestically, the demand for luxury and boutique resorts at serene locations is on rise. Travellers are taking more interest in desert camps, participation in local activities/ festivals, culinary trails and private small group journeys. This is why our packages for TUTC camps in Sangam Niwas (Prayagraj-Kumbh Mela), Jaagir Lodge (Dudhwa), Kohima camp (Nagaland- Hornbill festival) and Ladakh, city walks of Trip 360 and culinary quest through Tour to Feasts journeys are getting extremely popular among the travellers.

BONDING OVER BACHELORETTES

According to Kejriwal, there has been a growing trend in bachelors and bachelorette parties internationally. Spots like Spain, London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Prague and Budapest are the ones that these groups head to. And for destination weddings, places like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are more convenient for people keeping the budget in consideration as it offers great facilities in minimum expenditure.

Anand has also observed a similar pattern in terms of destination weddings, “Tropical spots such as Bali, Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui, Langkawi and Pangkor island and islands in the Maldives fit the wedding budget perfectly. Boracay, Da Nang and Nha Trang are also emerging as wedding destinations gradually. Those having higher budgets also go for exotic locations in US, Europe and Australia.”

A growing trend that has been observed over the past one year — is the rise of the solo traveller. “People who travel alone have a tight budget so they prefer hostels or zostels. However, they explore the city in a very native way,” says Kejriwal.

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