After two wash outs, summer holiday travel is making a strong comeback this year. With international flights resuming after over two years, and the third wave behind us, Indians are packing their bags and heading to popular tourist destinations with a vengeance.
Those in the sector acknowledged that booking trends are positive. Vipul Prakash, COO, MakeMyTrip, said the travel sentiment is at an all-time high. “As per current data patterns on the MakeMyTrip platform, domestic travel bookings for leisure travel will hopefully surpass pre-COVID levels in the coming weeks. As the summer season approaches, we also believe that bookings will increase manifold as people will return to taking a summer holiday after a gap of two years. Preferred destinations include Goa, Srinagar, Dehradun and Kochi,” he said.
International travel too is gaining momentum, he said, with searches rising on the platform on a week-on-week basis. “Among destinations, UAE and Maldives have already seen a recovery of nearly 80% this month from pre-COVID days. On similar lines, flight bookings to USA, UK, Canada, Australia have already touched a recovery of 60% verses January 2020. Flight bookings to short-haul destinations including Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia are seeing a week-on-week growth. Furthermore, booking patterns indicate that travellers are increasingly willing to splurge on stays or accommodations and on hyperlocal experiences,” he added.
