The adrenaline rush is all that counts
The young Indian traveller, within the age group of 20 and 40 years, is increasingly moving towards taking adventure trips abroad, exploring new destinations for an exhilarating holiday experience.
Adventure travel is one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry in India and is enjoyed by anyone who is looking for more than just a typical vacation to a beach, cruise, or a sightseeing trip to a big city. This includes many trips to destinations that offer eco-tourism or special interest expeditions or themes, explains, Kulwant Singh, CEO/ MD, Lama and Carfare Groups. “Countries like Italy, Greece, USA, Thailand etc. are very popular in this segment. Some of the typical tours can include soft adventure activities and cultural experiences like safaris, sailing, biking, hiking, fishing, wineries, barging, dude ranches, snorkeling, nature studies, and much more,” says Singh.
Sajan Kumar Gupta, Director, Vayu Seva Tours and Travels, feels that exposure of the Indian market and awareness via the entertainment industry has played a major role in generating a demand for such leisure activities. “Skydiving has picked up majorly in the last twothree years. The major destination for this segment is Australia. Also, South Africa and New Zealand are other attractive destinations.” Singh also adds that his company receives lot of requests for desert safaris. “Almost 7080 per cent of our visitors fall into the category of travellers looking for soft adventure when they travel to the Middle East,” he says.
The travel industry stakeholders have seen a trend that FIT segment is in the age group of 20-40 years, is very active in taking adventure trips from India. “Backpackers are also exploring the unique features of the destinations which are yet untouched and pristine. The MICE segment, however, is not very actively looking for such activities. The average budget of travellers for adventure travel is estimated at ` 7000 per day. Budget travellers tend to divide the cost amongst a group and save on accommodation where they would take up a three-star property but spend mostly on the activities,” says Sujit Nair, Founder and Group Managing Director, Akquausn Holidays India. He also adds that major travellers for adventure activities from, India are male. The passion of Indian travellers continues to grow year on year and the percentage of people travelling abroad is increasing. There has been a major transformation in how the travellers plan their holidays. Indians are keen on traveling to unconventional destinations and explore rather than visiting the beaten track. “Oman, Boracay, Hanoi, Tanzania, Argentina are some of the top destinations in the bucket list of an Indian traveller today,” says Gupta. Seychelles, Cebu, Reunion Island and the Philippines are also some destinations gaining popularity among adventure seekers in India.
Countries like Italy, Greece, USA, Thailand etc. are very popular. Some of the tours can include soft adventure activities and cultural experiences
Skydiving has picked up majorly in the last 2-3 years. Australia is popular in this segment. Also, South Africa and New Zealand are other attractive destinations
Budget travellers tend to divide the cost amongst a group and save on accommodation. They would take up a 3-star property but spend on activities
Identifying the mode of booking of such travel plans, Nair explains that it is not surprising to find that in today’s time, online research plays a major role for information and is also one of the fastest growing methods of booking. “Adventure trips are booked online after research on reviews, blog posts and other social media posts. Sometimes word of mouth also plays stimulus to book a trip to a particular destination,” he says.