Indians heading to long-haul international destinations this summer, says report

With the months of May, June and July upon us, travel freaks are planning to go on a vacation to escape the scorching heat and humidity in most parts of India.

While most people prefer some hilly destinations to avoid harsh sunlight, others looking for a vacation by the shore or in a valley or a lavish international place to relax and chill.

Meanwhile, a latest report, released by online travel company MakeMyTrip, suggests that the ticket booking rate for long-haul international destinations has gone 25 per cent high in comparison to last year.

About 50 per cent of the bookings are made by travellers in the 25-35 age group, according to the report.

"Long-haul destinations have registered higher growth this year compared to short-haul ones, with a significant 25 per cent growth in the number of trips year-on-year," PTI quoted Mohit Gupta, chief operating officer, MakeMyTrip.

There has also been a significant increase in the number of people travelling this summer with 24 per cent more Indians travelling this season, Gupta added.

The findings of the report are based on the bookings seen on MakeMyTrip platform for travel during the coming summer season (April-June), which coincides with the summer holidays in schools across India.

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London and Paris are the top destinations for long-haul trips, while Rome, Toronto, Amsterdam and Istanbul are the top growing international destinations this summer witnessing five-times growth, the report said.

Among the short-haul destinations, Dubai followed by Singapore and Thailand continued to be the most popular summer travel destinations.

Astana, Almaty, Lombok, Mykonos Vietnam, Jordan, Israel, Cambodia are among the most searched off-beat international summer destinations, according to the report.

"With mobiles, becoming the heart of communication, there also has been a remarkable year-on-year increase in bookings coming from smart phones," said Gupta.

The transactions made from mobile apps have increased by 64 per cent since last summer, he added.

Among domestic destinations, Goa continued to top the chart despite the heat as the most preferred holiday location this summer.

Cooler places such as Manali, Ooty and Shimla are the other top summer travel destinations.

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Interestingly, this summer Indians have shown great interest in travelling to some off-beat destinations as well, according to the report.

Other than places such as Thekkady, Wayanad, Guwahati and Shillong, locations like Spiti, Hampi and Namchi are being picked as the new go-to places by young Indians.

(With inputs from agencies)