Indians travel off the beaten track
Indian travellers are maturing and seeking newer, off-beat destinations to spend their holidays. We get the opinion of our estemeed India Travel Award winners on the international destinations that are the top draw for 2017 and the trends that are ruling
Best Online Travel Agency (West 2014) – EasyMyTrip Southeast Asian destinations are here to stay
Keeping the key deciding factors in mind, short-haul destinations such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Dubai will continue to trend among Indian travellers as they provide more value for money, feels Nishant Pitti, CEO and Cofounder, EaseMyTrip.com. “Some of the emerging destinations that are gaining popularity include Morocco, Oman, Cambodia, Philippines, Jordan, Vietnam, Seychelles, Istanbul and Athens,” says Pitti. He further informs that innovation has been the most definingg characteristicss of EaseMyTrip and the company is planning to establish EMT Holiday Hubs in all metro cities to increa increase revenues from non-air products like hotels, bus reservation, tour packages and car rentals. “We ar are targeting to expand our business in Tier-II & III cities of India by opening its franchises. We a already have overseas branches in Bangkok, Singapore, Maldives and Dubai
and will open branches in London, Hong Kong, and the United States soon,” adds Pitti.
Most Tren Trending Personality (North 2016) – Shalini Jain Santa V Village & Ice Hotel attract Indians
Croatia as well a as the Scandinavian dinavian coun countries have been the top sellers this season as thes these are exotic des destinations for Ind Indian travellers, lers points out Sh Shalini Jain, Dir Director-Operations, atio Click2Tra 2Travel.in. “Indian dian travellers are now seeking newer destinations with exotic value as their spending capacities have increased manifolds. But they still want the worth of their money,” says Jain. She ad adds that Iceland is one destination which will be in high demand this winter as it offers ex exciting winter sports activities and other attractions like the Santa Village. “Also, the Ice H Hotel in Canada is getting fast sold out. We are also aggressively promoting Crystal C Cruises and Silver Sea Cruises to the Indian market,” says Jain.
Best Destination Weddings & Events Travel Planner (North 2016) – Leisure and Travel World Croatia,Croat Jordan emerge as top sellers
Primarily, Indian travellers prefer common destinations tions in e every continent tinent but recently, destinations like Croatia, Budapest, Madagascar,Madagascar Bulgaria and Jordan haveh started ed picking up in the Indian market,mark points out AkashdeepAk Chanana,Chanana Director, Leisure a and Travel World. He says, “Exploring a new place once or twice in a year is trendi trending especially among the solo travellers and backpackers. Considering the weathe weather conditions in the last quarter, European market will be a little slow for the comin coming season. I see a demand for Vietnam, Mauritius, the Maldives, Boracay, Ceb Cebu and African countries.” Chanana adds that the company is introducing pac packages for Jordan, Israel, Sanya; photography tours to Hoi An (Vietnam) and cro cross country road trips in some European countries.
Best Cruise Consolidator (West 2014) – Ark Travels Bali rules Southeast Asia
Outbound travel segment is growing undoubtedly. Old destinations have not lost their charm but the new ones have created a lot of interest in the minds of the discerning Indian travellers, points out Anju Tandon, CEO, Ark Travels. She says, “Bali, in my opinion, has seen a very high rate of growth from India. This destination has picked up by word of mouth and through roadshows conducted by the tourism boards and destination management companied like U& I Holidays and Pacto. In addition, the increase in number of flights from various hubs on Air Asia and Malindo and Singapore Airlines helped in the growth of Bali.” Tandon points out that Russia, Iceland and Norway have also seen a substantial growth in popularity. “We see maximum growth for ourselves in the cruise segment. We have more itineraries from Star Cruises now, covering almost the entire Southeast Asia,” adds Tandon.
Best Travel Management Company (North 2015) – Bonton Holidays Abu Dhabi gains stride in India
Destinations like Dubai, Thailand and Singapore have been the most attractive for Indian travellers for long owing to shorter travel time, cheaper flights, the affordability of hotels and sightseeing, feels Keyur Vora, Director, Bonton Holidays. “I also see a lot of potential in Abu Dhabi. Attractions like the Ferrari World and the Grand Mosque are highly sought after and it’s only a matter of time before the trickling number of Indian tourists increase manifolds to Abu Dhabi,” says Vohra. He informs that in 2017-18, the company will be introducing a lot of series departures to all the most popular destinations like Dubai, Thailand, Singapore and Mauritius. The company also looks forward to increasing private group tours in the coming season.
Fastest Growing Travel Company (North 2016) – Holidays by Sahibji
Though the US, the UAE, Central Europe, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, UK, Hong Kong and Macau have always been in demand among Indian travellers, this year, Bali, Russia, Greece (Athens, Mykonos, Santorini), Vietnam, Cambodia, Seychelles and Sri Lanka have gained the most traction, informs Garima Sethi, Director, Holidays by Sahibji. Other popular destinations include Reunion Island, Portugal, South Africa, East Africa, Bora Bora, New Zealand and Iceland. Sethi says, “This popularity is because of greater connectivity between India and the destinations. Further, ease in visa rules and streamlining of the visa application process has made it more practical and easier for Indian travellers.” She further adds that the company has already received pre-bookings for destinations like Maldives, Mauritius, Australia, Egypt, Almaty, Tashkent, Zanzibar, Spain and Dubai. “Cruise tourism has seen growth y-o-y and is an emerging holiday trend, owing to floating advance purchase offers and special offers for the Indian market from international cruise liners.”
Best Business Travel Agency (South 2017) – Archana Travels Bangkok continues to be the most popular
Outbound travel has become popular and is growing at an exponential rate because there is a change in the mind set of people, believes Bhoja Reddy Baddam, Proprietor, Archana Travels. “Today, travel has become a part of lifestyle and a priority where Indians take trips every three-to-four months to new locations every year. The growing aspirations are complemented by cheap air fares and packages now available, which sometimes are even cheaper than domestic travel,” says Baddam. Owing to the above, he points out that Bangkok is the most popular destination followed by Malaysia, Singapore and Dubai. “There are newer destinations also coming up like Maldives, Bali, Vietnam, Philippines and Myanmar that are gaining traction due to enhanced connectivity,” adds Baddam.
Best Luxury Tour Operator (East 2017) – Jet Setters Sun & sa sand charm Indians
Singapore c continues to rule the roost in terms of nu number of Indian tourist tourists visiting the destinationdestinatio annually ally for both business and leisure traveltra segment, ment, while UAE has emerge emerged as the second mostmos popular lar foreign destinationdes for Indians, pointspoi out Tarakeshwar Singh, Director, Jet Setters. He informs that the traditionallytra strong bond between India and the UK continues to flourish as many students and entrepreneurs visit the country apart from tourists. “Moreover,“Mo UK also serves as a gateway to Western Europe, and is among the most sought-after getaways for a significant number of Indian tourists. BeachBea destinations are leading especially places like Costa del Sol to the quieterquie Costa Brava in Spain. We sell Cote d’Azur a lot. Australian beaches are also popular.p Countryside tours, city trips and conducted tours are also gaining ing interest,”inter adds Singh. The company will be adding newer destinations in Europe and South Africa to its portfolio this year.
BestBes Corporate Incentive Tour Operator (East 2015) – AaryanAarya Leisure & Holidays The P Philippines: Complete value for money
In 2017 2017, Philippines, Thailand, D Dubai, Maldives, Oman and Israel have kept the Indian travellers busy, believes Sa Sanjeev Mehra, Director, A Aaryan Leisure and Holidays Holidays. Mehra says, “I also feel tha that Israel, Dubai, Ras Al Khai Khaimah, Maldives, Sri Lanka an and Vietnam are some of th the destinations that will pic pick up in coming times.” He further feels that Myan Myanmar needs to look beyond their Australian and European markets and encourage Indian pa partners for leisure travel. South Korea is also an upcoming destination but it needs to work on its airfare if it has to be promoted in India. “We are now promoting Dubai with six nig nights stay as lots of new attractions have come up in Dubai. We are also developing Oma Oman for four-to-six nights as it’s a really an unexplored destination. For China, we hav have developed 14-night packages especially including The Harbin International Ice an and Snow Sculpture Festival,” adds Mehra.
Provider for Destination Weddings (North 2016) – Destination Wedding Company, a division of Blue Moon Travels Culinary itineraries are a new trend
Vietnam and Bali are popular among Indians as they offer short getaways for relaxation, while Dubai attracts Indians for shopping, informs Vijay Dadhich, Managing Director, Blue Moon Travels. He further adds that Eastern Europe has been popular for longer holidays not only because of Bollywood but also because it suits many budgets and promises an exotic experience. “With today’s travellers being more curious and also adventurous to travel to offbeat destinations, new destinations are taking centre stage. These include Chile, Mongolia, Bermuda, Finland and even South Korea. Culinary itineraries, road trips, walking tours and sustainable travel are some of the trends that are fast catching on with the newer generation that wants to explore and go beyond the regular destination,” says Dadhich.
Best Corporate Incentive Tours Operator (South 2017) – Parry Travels Philippines tops chart for MICE & incentive travel
For MICE and incentive travel, Philippines is on top of the charts this year as an increased number of groups prefer to travel to this exotic destination, informs Laxmi Angara, Business Head-Travel, Parry Travels. “The Philippines saw an increase in leisure as well as MICE and incentive travel and has been picking up well for the last two years. Other destinations like Romania, Budapest and Prague in Eastern Europe have also done well but largely so for the leisure segment of travel,” says Angara. She further adds that for the upcoming months, Korea is picking up and cities like Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru have shown maximum interest from the region. “We have done a few exhibition groups for Korea while Almaty too is picking up. There is a sizeable market for industry delegation too which is emerging for outbound segment of travel,” says Angara.
Entrepreneur of the year (East 2017) – Manoj Saraf CIS countries gain traction
Over the last few years, Eastern European destinations such as Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia have generated a lot of interest from the India market, points out Manoj Saraf, Managing Director, Gainwell Travel and Leisure. Citing the reason for this growth in demand, Saraf says, “Besides providing lower rates than Western Europe, this region also offers value-formoney packages, which are inclusive of attractions and meals.” He further elaborates that the erstwhile Russian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan present a lot of opportunity for budget, MICE travel and FIT travel from India. “Other destinations that I feel will soon emerge as popular hot spots for outbound travel from India include Israel, Jordan and Tanzania. At Gainwell, we have recently added Japan, Uzbekistan, Czech Republic and Hungary as new destinations to our product portfolio. We also see a great potential for increase in business to Sri Lanka and Australia.”