Less crowded spots attract Indians
After travelling to South East Asian destinations like Malaysia and Singapore, Indians have now shifted their travel plans to the less-crowded offbeat destinations like Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
DENCY MATHEW Singapore,
Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Pattaya and Phuket continue to be popular with Indian travellers. The reason for these destinations being extremely popular among Indians can be attributed to factors like being a short haul destinations and having good air connectivity from India. Also, they offer world class facilities for tourists, exciting and diversified sightseeing.
However today, a substantial number of Indian travellers have started showing interest in exploring ‘off beat’ destinations like Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. This trend stems from the innate desire of Indian travellers to experiment, have new experiences and explore newer destinations.
“Destinations like Vietnam and Cambodia are emerging as interesting options for luxury, group and FIT travellers and are expanding the range of destinations on offer. These destinations are popular with travellers who seek off-beat journey and explore the unique culture and heritage of these destinations. They want to understand and be a part of the unique culture and heritage of these destinations. The desire to do something different and to tread a lesser known path has lead to emergence of these destinations as preferred destinations for tourism.” says Daniel D'souza, Head Sales B2C, Tour Operating, Kuoni India
With the global economic slowdown and rupee depreciation having hit the Indian overseas traveller really hard, Indians travellers had to look wisely for cheaper destinations that offer good touristic options. Destinations like Siem Reap, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi have witnessed an increase in the number of Indian visitors.
“From a small base Cambodia's searches on Wego India have quadrupled, but still relatively early days for India's travellers. More searches to Siem Reap than Phnom Penh. We expect to grow at a healthy rate as travel to Cambodia is becoming fashionable in many markets. Searches for Vietnam have quadrupled over last year and is 3.5 times the volume searching Cambodia. Searches to Ho Chi Minh City were higher than Hanoi. Also, searches for Indonesia has been growing and has gone from 9% to 14% of SE Asian searches.” says Jackson Fernandez, GM, Wego, India
“Given the spurt in demand for offbeat destinations, we expect an increase of about 25%. Interestingly the newer SE Asian destinations have seen a demand across our segments from
adventurous young adults, young couples and honeymooners to families and senior citizens. Our student product, “Travel & Learn” too has found a new interest in such destinations. “Indulgence” our luxury brand has this year booked several itineraries to Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos for top end industrialists and HNI clients.” says Madhav Pai, COO, Leisure Travel (Outbound), Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.
The strong plus points of these ‘offbeat’ South East Asian destinations are proximity, convenience and value for money. Such destinations have a strong appeal to the repeat FIT and family segment too. Further, relaxed visa norms also ensure a higher uptake of Indian visitors. “Travel is in the Indian traveller’s DNA! Given our pioneering legacy as inventors of the package holiday, our clients look to us for innovative new experiences and such offbeat destinations are a welcome opportunity for us at Thomas Cook India. Tapping the hidden potential of offbeat places and awakening the interest of travel-hungry Indian consumers, creates a win-win impact for the industry as a whole. Our intent at Thomas Cook India is clear, fuel growth via a diverse consumer-centric product service portfolio and new & value destinations are an opportunity waiting to be leveraged” adds Pai.