Via.com is eyeing the weekend traveler segment

Weekend getaways and short trips is one of the fastest growing travel segments in India. In the last few years, a large percentage of Indians have started replacing their traditional annual long holiday with short trips and weekend getaways.

The sudden and rapid emergence of this new demographic is attributed to several factors: changing perceptions about travel, variable holiday calendars of family members and the need for a time out from hectic work schedules.

A Via.com spokesperson said that weekend getaways and short trips will be a major focus for the company this year. To kick off the campaign, Via.com will roll out exclusive deals and special discounts on a curate set of holiday and hotel packages, designed to appeal to weekend travelers and short vacationers.

The rise of short getaways has also resulted in an upward swing in hotel and bus bookings. Via.com attributes around 30 percent of its quarterly room nights to weekend getaways and short trips.

While travelers from the metros account for the most number of bookings, their smaller town counterparts are fast catching up. Last year, Via.com witnessed 40 percent increase in weekend getaway bookings from Tier II cities like Trivandrum, Mysore, Jaipur, Nagpur, Coimbatore and Lucknow.