Holidaymakers in India heading to tropical destinations, says survey

As winter sets in across the country, holidaymakers in India are looking to beat the freezing temperatures by heading out to tropical, warm-weather destinations for their winter holidays.

According to travel data and analysis by Kayak.com, a leading travel search engine, Dubai continues to top the charts for the second year running, witnessing a 20 percent surge in searches from users compared to last year.

Singapore and Bangkok also feature in the top three destinations, with a 155 percent and 131 percent rise in searches respectively, replacing last year's trending destinations Kochi and Bali.

The pattern seems to indicate that Indian travellers are consciously seeking out moderate climates when picking out their winter holiday destinations.

"Winter always brings with it the opportunity to travel, with the Christmas and New Year holidays, along with a lean period at work, often providing good excuses to book a trip. As the coldest period of the year approaches, we are witnessing a spike in searches to cities with moderate climates where travellers can soak in the sun before coming back to nippy temperatures," said regional manager, India and Middle East, Kayak.com, Abhijit Mishra.

"Dubai is leading the pack for winter travel, along with other tropical cities like Singapore, Bangkok, Bali and Colombo. The fact that the average ticket prices have decreased for these cities also makes them ideal for travel. Within India, Goa, with its beautiful beaches and ease of access, continues to be a hot favourite," he added.

Moreover, destinations such as Singapore (155 percent), Bangkok (131 percent) and Melbourne (75 percent) have been the fastest growing destinations in terms of interest garnered from users.

Other cities such as Maldives (67 percent), Port Blair (63 percent) and Sydney (62 percent) have seen a significant increase, specifically during the winter season.

"We're in an era where travellers have access to a wide range of options in terms of destinations, as airlines have activated more sectors, further improving connectivity. This gives travellers the freedom to pick and choose cities of their choice, and to more freely consider factors such as weather when deciding on a holiday destination," Mishra added.