by Vijaylakshmi
As summer continues to unfold, the desire to travel and explore destinations grows stronger. Leading digital travel platform Booking.com, driven by its mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, reveals how families plan to travel this summer.
According to Booking.com search data, accommodations are seeing an 18 percent increase as compared to last year, while flight searches are seeing an increase of 29 percent. These figures underscore a strong interest in travel this summer, as families look to make the most of the travel season.
More than half (56 percent) of Indian families rank spending quality time as the main motivator for travelling this year, followed by discovering new places (47 percent) and finding time to relax (18 percent). Family motivators for travel play nicely to this summer’s trending spots, which include destinations famed for their scenic beaches, exquisite local cuisine and enriching opportunities for cultural immersion.
An uptick in spiritual travel
Spiritual travel is one of the top motivators for Indian travellers with destinations like Ayodhya, Vrindavan and Tirumala among the top 10 most searched summer destinations. Beach and mountain getaways continue to captivate travellers, with Panchgani ranking second in domestic destinations, along with destinations like Goa, Chakrata, Srinagar, Mussoorie and Mandarmani.
International travel continues
From Sydney to Phu Quoc, Indian families are exploring both short and long-haul destinations this summer. Sydney is the top searched destination by family travellers followed by Osaka and Split for summer 2024.
Booking.com’s Family Travel Flight Search Data also reveals a 36 percent increase in Indian families looking to travel to Europe this year, with a notable increase in travel to the UK, Germany, Spain and Ireland followed by Asia (35 percent) and North America (17 percent).
Inside the family travel lens
- 65 percent of Indian families say they are inspired to travel to try the food seen in a show or movie, highlighting the influence of popular media on travel choices.
- 82 percent of Indian families are planning to use AI tools as part of their travel planning in 2024, showing a desire to adopt new practices to streamline their trips.
- Travel nannies may start becoming a trend this summer with 57 percent of Indian families saying they would likely allocate their travel budget to having someone care for their child or children on a trip.
- Comfort is also a top priority with 81 percent of Indian families citing air conditioning as the most important amenity when booking a place to stay.
