Delving into the heartbeat of Hyderabad's travel scene and India's burgeoning wanderlust, Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head of Holidays, MICE, Visa at Thomas Cook (India) Limited, shares exclusive insights with Deccan Chronicle. From the surge in domestic and international travel preferences to the rise of 'Pilgrimage Plus' experiences, Kale unveils the dynamic shifts and emerging trends shaping the travel industry. He also gives a list of most instagrammable tourist spots in the world.
How is Hyderabad as a market for travel? Could you give us some statistics on the travel scene in Telangana, especially Hyderabad?
Hyderabad is a key source market for us and our data reflects uptick of 29% YoY from Telangana and Hyderabad. This increased demand is emerging from customers across segments of families, couples, Young India’s millennials and Gen Z. While Hyderabad is a key market, Warangal, Karimnagar and Khammam are emerging strongly.
What do Hyderabadis prefer—domestic or international travel? Could you tell us about the most popular tourist hotspots they visit? Name the top most travelled destinations within India
Customers from Hyderabad and Telengana are travelling like never before and demand for both domestic and international destinations are equally high. Domestic and short-haul destinations are preferred for weekends, mini-cations; Long Haul destinations are opted for summer vacations, festive season like Dusshera, Diwali and year-end. Our customers are displaying strong appetite for Europe’s Switzerland, France, Hungary, Spain; also Finland and the Scandics; Australia-New Zealand, and USA despite visa challenges. Short haul destinations witnessing high interest include Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia; Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan.
What is noteworthy, is that we have relaunched our flagship European Extravaganza holidays that offers our customers with a range of exclusive experiences that are share-worthy on social media.
To address this demand, we have introduced Telugu and south special departures from Hyderabad to cater to the growing demand. On the domestic front, in addition to the cooler climes of Kashmir, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, North East, we have observed a demand for beach destinations including Kerala and Goa.
Spiritual tourism has gained momentum in the recent past. What are the top pilgrim towns?
We are witnessing increased preference for spiritual tours to Char Dham, Ayodhya-Prayagraj-Varanasi, Tamil Nadu, etc. from not only from Telengana’s senior segment but also families, couples and millennials. What is noteworthy, is the trend of ‘Pilgrimage Plus’ where customers are combining darshans while exploring the surrounding destination.
What about instagrammable locations? Could you give us 5 most travelled spots?
From Scandic countries like Finland with Iceland and inclusions of husky-safaris, stays in glass igloo/bubbles or traditional log cabins with spectacular views of the Northern Lights, to panoramic views of Tegallalang rice terraces in Bali, Japan’s Cherry Blossom/Sakura season, are some examples.
What are the unexplored places in India that have the potential to become tourist hot spots
Hyderabadis are displaying increased interest in offbeat destinations with high preference for hidden gems including hot sulphur springs of Panamik in Nubra valley Ladakh; Yusmarg and Doodhpathri in Kashmir - exquisite hill stations in Kashmir with a lush green landscape and snow-capped mountain ranges, Damro - longest enchanted hanging bridge in Arunachal Pradesh, and Vantawng falls - the highest and most spectacular waterfalls in Mizoram.
Beach destinations like North Kerala's Kappad Beach, Andhra's Rushikonda Beach and Andaman's Radhanagar Beach on Havelock Island have emerged as top beach favorite choices.
What about Lakshadweep? Have the booking surged post PM's tweet?
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Lakshadweep and encouragement to Indians to explore the islands within the country, we have witnessed an uptick in our searches for both domestic islands and beach destinations. Our search data for Lakshadweep indicates a significant jump of over 950% compared to December, followed by destinations like, Goa - a clear catalyst for Domestic Tourism.
What trends have you noticed in the travel industry during long weekends and seasonal holidays like Navratri or Summer?
Our consumer trends indicate that customers from Telangana state are utilizing their extended weekends and public holidays, taking multiple holidays in a year especially to no-visa and easy visa destinations; also drive-cations. The announcements of visa-free entry has been a game-changer for destinations like Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand, resulting in a significant uplift of approx. 35%. What is interesting, is that Indian consumers have shifted from being a Saver to a Spender, and this changed mindset has had a cascading impact on holidays; customers are willing to increase spends on their holidays by 20-30% compared to pre-pandemic levels and stay in premium properties while travelling for a longer duration from 7-10 days to over 15 days.
