Air ticket bookings for summer, Good Friday weekend up 50%: EaseMyTrip

While revenge travel has been one of the biggest factors driving the increase in bookings since last year, long weekend travel is now emerging as the new trend in the sector, the company said

Online travel services provider EaseMyTrip on Thursday said it has witnessed up to 50 per cent increase in advance air ticket bookings for the coming summer period and the long weekend beginning Good Friday.

Driven by pent-up demand and the removal of travel restrictions across the globe, the Indian travel industry is on a strong recovery mode, the company said in a statement.

"The travel sentiment and booking rates are at an all-time high, and travelers are growing more confident to embark on their travels," it said.

Citing the company's own data, EaseMyTrip said it has "witnessed a 40-50 per cent increase in advance air ticket bookings for the upcoming summer period and the long weekend of Good Friday, owing to the pent-up demand".

Besides, the company said it has witnessed "a 20-30 per cent jump in forward bookings for international travel for the months of May and June, with a significant rise in the number of people who are travelling for longer vacations".

The company, however, did not share the total number of bookings.

For the long weekend from April 15-17 coinciding Good Friday, EaseMyTrip said it has witnessed around 60 per cent jump in hotel bookings as compared to the corresponding period last year.

"The average duration of a hotel stay for the long weekend has increased from 3 days to 5 days," it added.

While revenge travel (after relaxations in pandemic-related curbs) has been one of the biggest factors driving the increase in bookings since last year, long weekend travel is now emerging as the new trend in the sector, the company said.

There is also a substantial rise in leisure travel, with a significant number of travellers opting for group and family trips over solo vacations, it added.

When it comes to locations, domestic destinations such as Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir, Rajasthan and Goa are among the most popular ones. At the same time, there has been a significant increase in bookings and inquiries for travel destinations in the north-eastern region of the country, the company said.

"States such as Manipur, Tripura and Assam are the most favourite destinations for the travellers," it added.

Also, there has been a strong growth in international leisure travel with destinations such as Dubai, Maldives, Thailand and the US in heavy demand, the online travel firm said.