Dubai, Mumbai tops wish-list of most Indian travellers post COVID-19 crisis

Even as travel is on pause amid COVID-19, Indian travel enthusiasts are making wish lists of places they would like to visit post the crisis, and financial capital of the country and Dubai have topped the chart as most sought-after domestic and international destinations, as per a survey.

The top domestic destination for Indian travellers is Mumbai, followed by Goa, New Delhi, Lonavala and Bengaluru, a survey by digital travel company Booking.com said.

For international destinations in Indian travellers wish-list includes Dubai as the top destination, followed byUbud (Bali), Bangkok (Thailand), Istanbul (Turkey) and London (UK), it added.

The survey is based on comparing wish-list data on Booking.com platform between March and April 2020.

"These are unprecedented and challenging times in which safety remains the top priority. We also know that in such times, dreaming about experiencing the world again has immense power to fire our imaginations and keep spirits high.

"It's amazing to see the array of different travel experiences our customers have been busy dreaming about while they wait for the opportunity to travel again. Building a wish list on Booking.com is an inspirational way for everyone to start dreaming about travel again," Booking.com Country Manager, India, Sri Lanka and Maldives, Ritu Mehrotra said.

Meanwhile, while dreaming about a change in scenery and the opportunity to enjoy a stay experience outside of their own home, most Indians travellers would refer to stay in hotels followed by resorts, guest houses, apartments and villas.

Hotels account for nearly 42 per cent of all properties wished by Indians over the last two months whereas resorts count for 18 per cent, which is more than the global average of 6 per cent, it said.

When it comes to global travellers,New Delhi, Mumbai, Calangute (Goa), Jaipur and Bengaluru are the top five destinations in India that the most globetrotters have wished to visit during March and April 2020, it added.