Skyscanner’s Travel in Focus Report reveals that 47% of Indians are flexible with their travel itineraries to take advantage of irresistible deals. The report also highlights the willingness of Indian travelers to choose less expensive destinations and travel at different times of the year. Additionally, the report explores Indian travelers’ preferences for slow-paced, purposeful, and immersive travel experiences.

The Savvy Traveller: Indians Embrace Flexibility for Affordable Getaways

In the era of budget-conscious travel, Indians are proving to be savvy travelers, according to the recent Travel in Focus Report by Skyscanner. The report reveals that almost half of the Indian travelers surveyed are open to revamping their itineraries in order to take advantage of irresistible travel deals. This flexibility extends to choosing less expensive destinations or traveling during off-peak seasons.

Despite being big planners, with a majority preferring to meticulously plan their trips, Indian travelers are keen on finding the perfect balance between travel and value. Skyscanner’s platform, with its cross-market comparison and transparency of prices, allows travelers to explore the world within their budget. By using features like the ‘Everywhere’ search tool, which recommends destinations based on price, travelers can discover affordable options without breaking the bank.

The findings also shed light on some interesting travel preferences among Indian travelers. The significance of cricket in Indian culture is evident, as a majority of respondents expressed a willingness to increase their travel budget to experience live matches. With the upcoming 2023 Cricket World Cup in India, there has already been a surge in searches for host cities like Ahmedabad. Skyscanner data also reveals lower flight prices for certain periods, allowing cricket enthusiasts to plan cost-effective trips.

Another interesting trend is the rise of slow travel among Indian travelers. They are increasingly opting for immersive experiences and dedicating more time to a single destination. This allows them to truly immerse themselves in the local culture and create meaningful connections. Compared to travelers in Singapore and South Korea, a significantly higher percentage of Indian travelers spend over a month in a single destination.

Furthermore, purposeful travel is gaining popularity among Indian travelers. Many are planning trips centered around specific activities such as scuba diving, golf, yoga, or wellness retreats. Additionally, a significant number of Indians are actively planning visits to holy places in the coming months. This shift toward purpose-related travel reflects the desire to have a meaningful and fulfilling travel experience.

To help travelers make the most of their trips, the report provides valuable hacks. For example, Skyscanner’s Whole Month Search tool allows users to see cheap flights quickly and provides the flexibility to choose the best deals. Mixing and matching airlines and airports can also lead to significant cost savings. By being price smart and setting up Skyscanner Price Alerts, travelers can be notified when flight prices change, enabling them to find the best deals well in advance.

In conclusion, the Travel in Focus Report by Skyscanner provides valuable insights into the travel behaviors and preferences of Indian travelers. It highlights their willingness to be flexible, their love for cricket, their embrace of slow travel, and their desire for purposeful experiences. By utilizing the tools and features offered by Skyscanner, Indian travelers can continue to explore the world within their budget, creating unforgettable memories while saving money.

The Savvy Traveller: 47% of Indians ready to revamp itineraries for irresistible deals, reveals Skyscanner report

Skyscanner, the global travel marketplace, today released its Travel in Focus Report, which shares that budget-conscious travellers in India are embracing travel with an open mind to score more affordable getaways. With insights from Skyscanner’s proprietary search and booking data, and consumer behaviour study, this report uncovers key travel behaviours in India.

Data from the report highlights that Indians are savvy travellers (47%) who are flexible to switch their itineraries, when presented with better travel deals. When it comes to international holidays, Indians are also willing to pick a destination that is less expensive to travel to (35%) or travel at a different time of year (33%). This is in spite of the fact that Indian travellers are in fact, big planners, with 72% of respondents preferring to thoroughly plan their trips – further cementing how Indian travellers are seeking that sweet spot of travel and value for their holidays.

Commenting on the findings, Mohit Joshi, Skyscanner Travel Trends and Destination Expert said, “While the way we travel has no doubt changed in the last few years, the desire for a getaway is still very much there. Skyscanner makes it possible for travellers to explore the world within their budget, with its cross-market comparison and transparency of prices on its platform. An easy hack to hit that sweet spot, is to use our ‘Everywhere’ search tool, where destinations are recommended based on the traveller’s location, ranked by price. That way you get to explore, without breaking the bank.”

Other key survey findings:

• Chasing Cricket: Cricket holds a special place in the heart of Indians. Around 75% say that they are willing to increase their travel budget to experience live cricket matches. With the upcoming 2023 Cricket World Cup held in India, there is already a 46% spike1 in searches from within India to Ahmedabad, one of the host cities, for October this year. Despite strong demand, prices on Skyscanner reveal that flights to Ahmedabad from Mumbai are 36%2 lower for the month of June 2023, compared to June 2022.
• Slow Travelling Gurus: In 2023, Indian travellers are taking it slow, with more travellers (46%) opting for more immersive travel over of fast-paced travel (40%). Rather than visiting as many places as possible, travellers are looking to spend more time in a single destination, taking their time to immerse themselves in the local culture. According to Skyscanner data, over 38% of Indian travellers spend longer than 1 month on a single-destination trip, including domestic and international destinations, based on redirect data for the year 2023, which is significantly more when compared to travellers in Singapore (3%) and South Korea (8%)3.
• Purposeful Voyagers: Travellers today are looking to travel with purpose and centre their travel experiences around specific activities. Over half of Indians (55%) are planning purpose-related travel in India to engage in activities such as scuba diving, golf, yoga, or wellness retreats. One in two Indians are also actively planning a visit to holy places in the next 6 months.

For all the travel preferences flagged by Indian travellers as important, Mohit recommends the following hacks that can help bag a bargain quickly:

• The ‘Whole Month’ search tool allows you to see cheap flights immediately and pick the right deal for you. Consider travelling a day before or a day after your original departure dates, flying on less popular days of the week is always cheaper.
• Mix & Match to save ₹₹: Mixing and matching the airlines and airports you choose to fly with to and fro, can seriously cut costs. To save more, flights don’t have to be booked as returns.

Here are some options between Mumbai and the UAE on 8-15 September 20234. By mixing and matching, the lowest fare is via Route 3 by flying into Dubai and out of Sharjah on different airlines.

Be Price Smart: When you find a flight you like, with a price you don’t, set up a Skyscanner Price Alert. It will watch the flight you are interested in and send an email or push notification when prices change. This is the best way to find a deal if you have a few weeks or months before you are planning to buy.

Skyscanner’s Travel in Focus 2023 report draws on its research with OnePoll and analyses survey data from 3,000 travellers in Singapore, India, and South Korea to uncover key unique insights into travel behaviour, attitudes, and preferences of travellers in these countries.