India emerges as a global leader in travel in 2022

N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe

New Delhi, Aug 4 (IANSlife) India leads Asia-Pacific in its intent to travel in the second half of 2022 with 50 per cent of Indians expressing the desire to spend more money on booking a vacation, reveals the world's largest survey of travel intentions from Travel Lifestyle Network (TLN) in a post-pandemic setting.

While international travel still remains a point of contention among many, with only 15 per cent of respondents willing to travel abroad, 29 per cent of people are planning for vacation in India. India emerged as the global leader in domestic travel with 24 per cent of people undertaking at least one vacation every month, for which the global average stands at 11 per cent. The country is also way ahead of its global counterparts in business travel with almost 18 per cent of Indians travelling for work within the country once a month.

In terms of leisure travel, over 36 per cent of Indians are most likely to take road trips in 2022, followed by long weekends influencing 34 per cent of Indians to bite the travel bug. In terms of factors influencing travel behaviour, India is at par with the global average, as at least 26 per cent of Indians indicated that their destination choice would be based on value for money, while 22 per cent attributed it to a relaxing experience.

"Interestingly, after two very turbulent and passive years, the global dynamics of travel look completely different from before. As the survey indicates, there is an immense travel appetite among Indians who wish to explore places and destinations for unconventional reasons unlike earlier. With wellbeing and self-care gaining importance in a hybrid model of living, the millennials are re-embracing travel more enthusiastically followed by Baby Boomers and Gen X. It is extremely encouraging to see this uptick in travel sentiment after a prolonged lull for a quicker sectoral recovery," said Archana Jain, Managing Director, PR Pundit - a member company of the Travel Lifestyle Network.

In the context of the evolving cost-of-living crisis, with inflation rates soaring in many countries, the travel industry needs to contend with consumer concerns relating to the price of travel. Affordability is likely to have a significant impact on travel-related purchasing in the second half of 2022 and into 2023 with over a quarter (26 per cent) of the global respondents rating value for money as the key factor that has the most impact on decisions about where to travel on vacation.

Virginie Le Norgant, President, of Travel Lifestyle Network said, "Our report clearly shows how the rising cost of living is influencing every travel decision made today. This global survey highlights how an increasing number of consumers are seeking value for money when booking their leisure trips. Price, not necessarily quality, is going to be a key differentiator to attract consumer spend in the remainder of 2022 and in early 2023."

Overall, the survey discovered that wanderlust abounds with a strong desire to seize the experiences that travel offers in the post-Covid climate.

(N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe can be reached at [email protected])