Millennials prefer Indian heritage destinations to foreign visits: Survey

Millennials in India prefer a historical or heritage destination within the country to a more commercialised foreign destination, a recent survey has revealed.

According to the survey conducted by global hospitality service Airbnb, along with biotechnology company 23andMe, almost 60 per cent of Indians between the age of 23 to 38 years, want to travel domestic to better understand the heritage and culture of the country.

"While 89 per cent believe that heritage trips are somewhat more valuable than normal vacations, about 68 per cent strongly agree to the trend led again by the dominant millennial population of India," the survey based on data collected from 1,000 individuals above the age of 18 years, said.

It also noted that new age travellers, who were looking for more holistic and unique travel experiences, were driven by curiosity and were extremely keen on learning about family origins at heritage destinations.

"Travellers are now keen on discovering their country for its rich legacy, and are making a shift to choose culture and exploring their roots over other traditional leisure destinations," Amanpreet Bajaj of Airbnb - India said.

Food emerged as the other factor that encouraged Indians to travel, especially if it was outside the country.

"When asked about outbound travel to places of cultural significance, 77 per cent of the respondents agreed that they would travel outside the country to immerse themselves in local cuisines," the survey said.