Holiday season is here and here’s where Indians are heading to celebrate Christmas and New Year

• Far East remains the number 1 region within which Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam are the top countries.
• New Year’s is also the time when people are trying to be adventurous – going on solo trips, living out of hostels to make new friends.
• For shorter distance travels people are making use of the self-drive feature offered by companies like Zoomcar, Ola Drive and are driving off on their own.

It’s that time of the year – the Christmas spirit is on in full swing, and New Year plans are being made. The holiday season here and Indians are not sitting it out.

And, it is good news for travel companies and aggregators.

"On the international front, we see a preference towards destinations in the Far East and Europe. Both regions have seen an increase in traffic share by 2%. Far East remains the number 1 region within which Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam are the top countries. Additionally, destinations such as the UAE, Sri Lanka, USA, Maldives and the UK continue to see strong interest," said Balu Ramachandran, senior VP at Cleartrip.

While UAE is one of the most favoured destinations for travellers going abroad. Domestic travel patterns are predictable with Goa, Kerala and Rajasthan.

As it is the ‘party time’ of the year, Cleartrip says that people are travelling in larger groups.

But New Year’s is also the time for the adventurous who prefer – solo trips, living out of hostels and making new friends, says Zostel Hostel and Homes.

The booking volumes at Zostel has crossed 40,000 room nights in December 2019, with a 33.3% increase from last year.

“The way people are choosing to travel and socialize across the country is transforming. The existing and emerging trends, led by millennials and centennials, are most evident during the holiday season. It’s clear that Indian travel-seekers are increasingly choosing to celebrate the New Year in offbeat as well as popular party destinations,” said Dharamveer Singh Chouhan, CEO and co-founder of Zostel.

Their data also shows that 80% of female travellers in Zostels travel independently. The top destinations are Panchgani, Mumbai, Jaipur, and Kathmandu.

For short distance trips, people are using self-drive features offered by companies like Zoomcar and Ola.

Ola’s self driving feature Ola Drive which was launched in September 2019, has seen a 100% increase in day-to-day demands.

“India’s mobility industry is undergoing a transformational phase that is dictated by the preferences of younger consumers. This holiday season, the platform has witnessed high advance booking requests for Ola Drive and we are expecting a similar pattern with on-demand booking as well,” said an Ola spokesperson.

So, if you are still looking for a plan for New Year’s, pick up a backpack and head out as the options are many!

SEE ALSO
The top 5 destinations you can visit for paragliding, skydiving, kitesurfing and other adventure sports
From Sunburn Music Festival to Hot Air Balloon Festival -- here are all the places where you can live it up in December