Indians choose travel over shopping, food: Survey

Travelling is the new craze among Indians, as per a survey that says 38 per cent prefer to spend their money on travel above all other pursuits like shopping, food, and other daily activities.

Besides, contrary to popular belief, it is not only the young generation that is most obsessed with travel.

People aged at 36-55 are more willing to spend on travelling, in which 47 per cent of them prefer to spend money on travel than other pursuits, the survey by travel search engine Kayak said.

The 2018 travel survey was carried out between 9-17 January and surveyed 1,004 Indians aged 18-65.

With the summers round the corner, 16 per cent Indian holiday makers are planning to spend over Rs 3 lakh on their summer travel and over 45 per cent of the respondents plan to spend at least Rs 1 lakh, the survey noted.

"Over time we have observed an evolution in the travel culture of Indians, with travelling gradually taking a more and more prominent place in our lives," Kayak Director, India and Middle East Abhijit Mishra said.

According to the survey, while 57 said they regularly save money to spend it on holiday, 34 per cent try to hold back from shopping and 22 per cent even take on an extra job in order to save for travel.

"The survey results show that most Indians are willing to cut some costs in order to afford their travel by choosing a cheaper alternative, either on shopping (53%), accommodation (38%), or local transportation (37%)," the survey said.