India's monsoon travel surge: Bookings up 25% with discounts driving demand

Countries with short-haul international flights and visa-free or easily obtainable visa options, such as Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bali, and Malaysia are experiencing a 20% increase in demand annually

India’s travel industry is benefitting from an unexpectedly busy monsoon season, experiencing a 25 per cent increase in bookings compared to last year, which builds on the robust demand seen during the summers, according to a report by The Economic Times.

The report quoted Rajeev Kale, president and country head for Holidays, MICE, Visa at Thomas Cook (India), said that discounts and promotions from airlines and hotels, such as reduced rates, free stay extensions, and complimentary airport transfers are boosting demand for monsoon travel by around 25 per cent annually.

“In comparison to the peak summer travel season, we have witnessed a drop in hotel tariffs for monsoon favourites by approximately 20-40 per cent. Premium hotel tariffs are varied and at approximately Rs14,000-Rs 27,000 per night in Goa, Rs 12,000-Rs 45,000 per night in Kerala (Bekal, Wayanad, Cochin, Kottayam) and Rs 20,000-Rs 32,000 per night in Coorg for July-August,” Kale said, as quoted by the report.

Despite being typically a slow season for travel, Nikhil Sharma, MD and ASVP for South Asia at Radisson Hotel Group, said that this year’s monsoon season has shown an encouraging trend for the hospitality sector. “We witnessed a 9 per cent increase in demand in July as compared to last year,” Sharma said, as cited by the report.

Talking about an increase in travel to international destinations with visa on arrival, Daniel Dsouza, president and country head for holidays at SOTC Travel, said that destinations with short-haul international flights and visa-free or easily obtainable visa options, such as Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bali, Malaysia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, are experiencing a roughly 20 per cent increase in demand annually.

“In India, state tourism boards like Kerala and Karnataka are offering travellers unique experiences like Malabar river festival and the boat race in Alappuzha besides excursions like Dubare Elephant Camp experience,” he said, as quoted by the report.

Leading searches this monsoon season

Popular leisure spots like Lonavala, Udaipur, Jaipur, Ooty, and Mussoorie are currently leading the search trends for the rainy season on Booking.com. According to the company, Indians are also considering international getaways, with Dubai, Singapore, and Colombo topping the list of favoured short-haul destinations.

Indians take record flights in 2024

The Mastercard Economics Institute’s report titled ‘Travel Trends 2024: Breaking Boundaries’ reveals a remarkable increase in air travel. During the first quarter of 2024 (January-March), Indian airports saw an impressive 97 million passengers, both domestic and international, as mentioned by an earlier report by Business Standard.

The report highlights a strong recovery in India’s travel market, with domestic travel surpassing pre-pandemic levels by 21 per cent in March 2024, compared to March 2019. Additionally, international travel experienced a 4 per cent rise in March 2024, compared to the same period in 2019.

The report highlights that Amsterdam, Singapore, London, Frankfurt, and Melbourne are the leading destinations for Indian travellers this summer (from June to August, 2024), based on the increase in flight bookings.