Summer is almost here, and Indian travellers plan to make the most of it with flight searches significantly up for the holiday period*.
New research by KAYAK, the world’s leading travel search engine, based on a survey of 1217 Indians in urban regions across India, found that over half (56%) intend to travel for leisure this summer^.
One-third who are planning travel this summer are being influenced by nostalgia and are leaning towards destinations they have already visited in the past, including their ancestral places^. Interestingly, novelty is still important to them, with about half intending to make new memories in these previously-visited destinations while only 39% would relive past experiences^.
25-34 year olds are the most interested in visiting nostalgic destinations that they might have visited during their childhood or teen years^, perhaps taking their own children to recreate these precious memories.
Prominent Indian psychologist and founder of Happiness is Love, Jyotika Bedi said, on the role of nostalgia in summer travel stated, “travelling is often about breaking away from routine and discovering unfamiliar things, but nostalgia offers a sense of comfort and security by reminding us of familiar people, places, and experiences from our past. Additionally, great memories can also inspire us to seek out new experiences that have the potential to become meaningful in the future.”
Top Destinations for Indian travellers over the summer*:
The most searched international destination for summer travel is Toronto followed by Dubai, London, and New York*.
Within Asia, Indian travellers are looking at ever-popular destinations like Bali, Bangkok, Singapore, and the Maldives.
New Delhi was the most searched domestic destination, followed by Goa, Srinagar and Andaman and Nicobar Islands*.
Given the scorching heat across the country, a majority of respondents are planning to travel to places where they can cool off. Whilst 61% are gravitating towards the mountains, 51% want to bask in the breeze at seaside destinations^.
KAYAK tips for Summer Travel:
Use a travel search engine: KAYAK has the tools and filters to help you find great deals, including the Explore page, which shows destinations by budget.
Set a price alert: As one of KAYAK’s most popular features, price alerts help travellers save money by alerting them when prices change for a flight or hotel they want.
Get flexible: If you can be, choose ‘flexible’ filters. If your travel dates aren’t set in stone, and you have a little wiggle room available, chances are you can save some cash when searching within +/- 3 days of your desired date range.
Consumer Research Methodology
^KAYAK.co.in’s Summer’23 travel intention survey was conducted from 14th-20th Mar 2023 by a third-party researcher, YouGov on behalf of KAYAK, who surveyed 1217 urban Indians of both genders aged 18+, from all regions of India. The survey was a self administered online interview of 5 minutes in English to a sample from members of the YouGov India panel of nearly 200,000 individuals. The sample is largely representative of adult urban internet users (18 years of age and above) who are able to read and understand English. YouGov has made every effort to provide representative information. However, all results are based on a sample survey, and are therefore subject to statistical errors normally associated with sampling.
KAYAK Search Methodology
*Based on flight and hotel searches made on KAYAK.co.in and associated brands between 01.10.2022 and 13.03.2023 for travel between 01.04.2023 and 30.06.2023. They were compared to searches for the same search and travel period in 2022. Percentages are on average and prices are approximate and may vary with time. All flight searches are for travels with departure from any airport in India, round-trip and economy class tickets. All prices for hotels are average prices for 1 night in a double room.
