Travel Booking through Mobile Apps on a Rise

Survey says 42% of Indian travellers book holiday tickets around 1-3 months in advance
Hyderabad, India: Yatra.com, one of India’s leading online travel portals conducted their annual summer survey which showcases the outlook of Indian travellers planning to holiday this summer. The key finding from the survey was that around 21 per cent of the travellers are now looking at mobile applications as a key medium to book their vacation. While desktops and laptops continue to dominate as the most preferred medium of booking, people are taking a hiatus from travel agents and call centres for planning their holidays.

The survey also found that around 83 per cent of the respondents are planning to take a vacation this summer and majority of people are planning to a 5 – 15 day break. Almost 69 per cent of them chose hotels as the preferred mode of accommodation over staying with friends and family. With a plethora of lodging options available, 53 per cent of the people were willing to spend up to Rs. 2,500 on their stay. Another takeaway from the survey was the rise in advance booking with over 42 per cent of the people looking at booking their tickets anytime between 1-3 months prior to their holiday. The survey also revealed that Indians are willing to take breaks more often with 57 per cent committing to taking a holiday around 2-3 times in a year and 93 per cent looking to explore new destinations during their summer vacation. It was also observed that social media is playing an instrumental role in inspiring people to choose their holiday destination. Around 33 percent of the respondents looked towards social media for finalizing their destination this summer.

In addition, the survey showed an emerging trend of budget travellers where last year they were accounted for 7 per cent as against 26.7 per cent this year. Luxury travel has also witnessed a rise with almost 20 per cent people willing to spend above Rs. 50,000 as against 11 per cent last year.

Another fascinating sign of Indians being workaholics has cropped up in the survey. 55% of the respondents commit to checking their work mails and calls at least once a day while around 17 per cent are sure of being hooked to their phones throughout the holiday.

Commenting on the findings from the survey, Mr. Sharat Dhall, President, Yatra.com says, “It is very encouraging to see that the number of people taking a holiday in the summer is increasing year-on-year. Taking a break on a regular basis is a fast emerging trend; be it a luxurious trip, a weekend getaway, a family trip or a pocket friendly outing. Our mobile bookings have also risen significantly, with over two-fifth of our traffic recorded from smart phones and tablets.”

Interestingly, the survey reflected the much apparent cricket frenzy in the country. Having just finished the World Cup and with the IPL season underway, it wasn’t a surprise when M.S Dhoni was voted as the favourite “sportsman” people would like to holiday with. Amongst the women, Saina Nehwal is the most sought after “sportswoman” as a companion for holiday this summer. The survey was conducted among 15,000+ respondents from Yatra.com’s customer base.

Key Highlights:

• Mobile bookings for travel have increased, a jump to 20 percent against 11 per cent from last year.
• Over 69% travellers prefer staying in hotels while on a break as against other accommodation options available
• At two opposite sides of the price spectrum, Budget and Luxury travel is on the rise
• Around 45% are looking to travel with their friends
• More than 50% travellers are booking their vacations more than a month in advance
• Social Media plays an important role in inspiring travellers to choose their next holiday destination with 33% taking cues from social media
• Indians emerge as workaholics, more than half of the travellers work on vacation