Soaring desire to travel
AUSSIES are searching for international flights over the summer holidays even more than they were before Covid, with New Delhi pipping Bali as our most popular destination.
Data from travel website KAYAK.com.au shows searches for international flights are up 164 per cent compared to the same period in 2019, despite steep increases in the cost of airfares. Searches for domestic flights are up 136 per cent.
Melbourne to New Delhi has become the most searched-for international route, ahead of Sydney to Denpasar and Melbourne to Denpasar. Sydney to New Delhi was the sixth most popular flight search.
Asian cities completely dominated the list of top 10 searches, with the only nonAsian destination being LA, squeaking in at number eight.
Last month Qantas started flying four times a week from Sydney to Bengaluru, India’s ‘Silicon Valley’. The flying kangaroo also recently launched the first phase of a codeshare partnership with IndiGo, India’s largest domestic carrier, to accommodate surging demand for connections.
But a passage to India isn’t as cheap as it once was. According to KAYAK, return economy airfares from Melbourne to New Delhi are up 43 per cent on what they were before the pandemic, and return economy flights from Sydney to Mumbai are up 33 per cent.
Australian Federation of Travel Agents CEO Dean Long said the demand for flights to India was being spearheaded by Australia’s booming Indian expat community, who were looking to visit friends and relatives.
“There’s no doubt you’ve got expat Indians looking to return home, and to bring loved ones out on the standard holidays that weren’t allowed during Covid,” Mr Long said.
Australians were “looking to travel, really no matter the cost,” reflecting two years of “pent-up demand,” he said.
Nidhi Kumar, 43, recently travelled to her parents’ home town of New Delhi with her family to attend a wedding.
“I hadn’t been back in 10 years, but I was so impressed. It doesn’t feel as congested, and I’ve never seen it so green,” Ms Kumar said.
Ms Kumar said the family paid more than they had on previous trips, but the Australian dollar could still go a long way against the rupee.
Another traveller singing India’s praises is Sainath Redij, who recently visited family in Mumbai. The 38-year-old said he was keen to resume his prepandemic practice of flying home for a visit every two years, despite the escalating costs of fares.
“Travel has become very expensive nowadays and finding reliable travel is also becoming very difficult,” he said.
According to KAYAK, December 23 will be the busiest day at airports over the festive season, while December 20 will be the most expensive, with an average international fare price $372 above the average for the period. The cheapest day will be Australia Day.