Travel Industry Looks Up With 40 Per Cent Increase In Bookings

People seem to have had enough of the lockdown and now they are leaving no opportunity to make the most to head for a holiday.

The enthusiasm among travellers has brought the much-needed cheer to the travel industry. There has been around a 40% increase in bookings on travel portals ahead of the long weekend beginning October 2, HT reported.

The easing of restrictions by the government has translated into people opting for homestays to travel to nearby places. There has been a marked increase in the number of bookings made since September. Those in the travel industry hope that people will slowly start moving from essential to leisure travel.

HT quoted the online travel agency yatra.com, as saying that there has been a demand for homestays and cottages this weekend beginning with Gandhi Jayanti. Travellers are preferring holidaying in secluded areas at drivable distances, the report added.

“In the Unlock [easing of restrictions] phase, more travellers are looking for short-haul destinations having proper safety and sanitisation,” HT quoted yatra.com co-founder Sabina Chopra as saying.

She added ahead of this weekend, they have seen a 32% increase in booking inquiries and growth in demand for accommodation like homestays, 4-star, 5-star hotels, cottages, etc. With customer confidence going up, they expect better demand, she said.

Goibibo’s chief operating officer, Vipul Prakash, told HT that over the past few weeks, they have noticed a significant increase in bookings for weekend getaways. “Over the coming long weekend, we expect over 40% higher check-ins in comparison to bookings made for weekend getaways in August. Within this segment, over 70% of the bookings are for drivable destinations or to places within 400 km.”

Goibibo bookings suggest Goa, Shimla, Mussoorie, Nainital, Manali, Coorg and Rishikesh have been the most popular destinations this weekend.

Cleartrip’s corporate strategy head, Aditya Agarwal, told HT that since September, bookings are in the range of 20%-30% of last year levels for Rajasthan and Kerala and around 18% for Goa. “…which signal the return in confidence to travel.”