Indian travellers bullish on UK, Europe post Brexit: survey

Mumbai: Taking advantage of depreciating Euro and Pound following Brexit vote, Indian travellers are heading to Europe and the UK like never before, according to a survey conducted by travel portal Yatra.com.

Almost 71 per cent of Indian travellers stayed firm on their international travel plans and remained particularly bullish on the UK and Europe, said the survey.

"Europe and the UK have always been preferred travel options for Indian tourists and post-Brexit with the Euro and Pound becoming more affordable, we have seen an increased demand for select destinations for both countries. Both currencies are on a three-year low and this has led to these destinations working out to be more economical for Indian travellers," Yatra.com president Sharat Dhall said.

He said that queries have grown nearly three-fold and the company has found that there is also a 64 per cent increase in bookings for these destinations during the popular season, which lasts till October.

The survey was conducted among 2,000 individuals from Yatra.com's customer base.

Rupee valuation compared to the local currency of a country remains a major deciding factor for over 68 per cent of the travellers, it added.

Therefore, with British pound and Euro falling close to 75 per cent, people have expressed interest in making travel plans to the UK and Europe over any other international destinations.

Europe continues to be a destination of choice and enjoys a greater footfall as it sees over a three per cent drop in the Euro compared to Indian rupee.

The falling value of the Pound has made the UK increasingly affordable and a larger percentage of people are looking at it as a desirable destination for holidays.

Interestingly, China is also coming up as a prospective travel destination as the Yuan was at an all-time low.

However, 66 per cent of the respondents have said no to consider studies in the UK due to the current valuations. Students seem to be more swayed by curriculum and career prospects than by a 10 per cent reduction in amount of money to be paid.

It found that almost 67 per cent of respondents have claimed that they would not prefer transit travel via UK and Europe post the unrest with the referendum.

However, it said, almost 65 per cent people travelling to the UK and Europe have said they will spend more on accommodation now that they will get better value for money.