Goa, Jaipur set to become India's top leisure destinations: OYO data

As the population across the world continues to get vaccinated, travellers have begun boarding flights and checking into hotels among a lot more movement, said OYO based on trends it is seeing in bookings across its properties.

OYO released the findings of its Unlocking Travel Report 2021 on the occasion of World Tourism Day.

In India, Goa, followed by Jaipur, Manali, Ooty and Mysore are set to become India’s top leisure destinations for the upcoming holiday season. The booking data shows an inclination towards hill stations, followed by heritage cities and beach destinations.

According to OYO's consumer survey, 37 per cent travellers have a preference for mountains, and 33 per cent for beaches in India. 

The remaining 14 per cent prefer visiting motorable places (or roadtrips), followed by heritage cities and pilgrimages. 

In India, vaccinated staff and sanitisation protocols at properties are the top two factors that consumers keep in mind before deciding their next travel destination and accommodation.

During the Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi long weekends, OYO saw a spike in bookings for leisure destinations. 

Ganesh Chaturthi’s travel demand was mainly driven by Jaipur, Pondicherry, Ooty and Mysore. 

For the upcoming long weekend of Dussehra and Guru Nanak Jayanti, the data reveals that travellers are opting for holidays across India’s leisure destinations - with Jaipur topping the list, followed by the beaches of Goa.

It is also observed that about 57 per cent travellers prefer making bookings closer to the travel day. 

This is a striking shift from the pre-Covid era when travel was extensively planned and bookings were made weeks or even months in advance.

In the UK, there’s a high preference for travel over short weekend breaks, followed by school holidays and business trips. 

Americans, on the other hand, choose to explore local destinations and new experiences, followed by solo travel. It also found observed that in the USA, hygiene and cleanliness are a top priority for travellers.

In Southeast Asia, with lockdowns partly relaxing in Indonesia, there’s a jump in small and medium businesses and essential travel across business cities such as Jakarta, Bandung, among others. 

In Malaysia, OYO saw a surge in searches for local tourist destinations such as Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

In the UK, OYO’s booking trends for September show that the British are heading to the capital city of London, followed by Bath, a well-being destination, mainly known for its beautiful ancient Roman Baths. 

The British are also travelling to tourist hotspots such as Blackpool, Scotland and Great Yarmouth. 

In the US, big cities and coastlines dominate travel preferences. 

As travel opens up across the country, Americans are heading to New York, Hawaii (3 islands), Las Vegas, Orlando and Key West.

As per OYO’s booking data between August - September 2021, Europe saw strong signs of travel bounce back led by summer travel demand. 

Across Europe, the Baltic Sea Region in Germany, a popular vacation spot (also referred to as the German Riviera) was the most booked destination over the summer season. 

This was followed by the sandy beach town of Blavand in Denmark, North Holland in the Netherlands, Luxembourg in Belgium and Salzburg, Austria.

Based on OYO’s advanced booking data between October - December 2021, Europeans are planning their travel around the upcoming autumn break in October and the Christmas week. 

The data highlights that in the Christmas week of 25th December, Salzburg and Tyrol in Austria are the most booked destinations. 

With the autumn break just around the corner, Europeans are heading to Blavand and North Holland. While some users have planned their travel with advance bookings, over the past month, OYO said it observed that a majority of bookings are last-minute (bookings within 15 days of arrival) across Europe, indicating the shift in consumer mindset, where consumers plan their travel closer to the date, largely depending on the factors surrounding the pandemic