About 46% Indians plan to travel in Oct-Dec: Survey

As much as 46 per cent of the respondents in India are looking to travel in October-December, even as only six per cent of them have made bookings, indicating that most of them may look either for last-minute deals or opt for a road journey, as per a survey.

The survey, conducted by the online platform LocalCircles, also revealed that the festive season (October-December) is likely to see a 60 per cent jump in citizens travelling as compared to the monsoon season (August-September).

About 34 per cent of respondents said they are planning to visit family and friends in October-December.

Some major festivals in India fall during the October-December period of the year.

It can be mentioned that many families had to cancel their summer travel plans amid the drastic surge of the second wave of the pandemic that reached its peak in mid-May, the survey said.

As the country started unlocking the economy after the outbreak, LocalCircles said, a study conducted by it found out that 28 per cent of respondents had made plans to travel during August and September.

LocalCircles has conducted another survey to understand the travel plans of people from October to December.

The survey also tried to understand how domestic travel is picking up through a comparative analysis with a similar survey conducted in July this year, the platform said in a release.

The survey received more than 19,000 responses from citizens, comprising 64 per cent males and 36 per cent females, from across 331 districts -- a mix of Tier-1, Tier-2, Tier-3 as well as Tier-4 cities.

All the respondents were validated citizens, who had to be registered with LocalCircles to participate in this survey, the release said.

The central government has eased most of the travel restrictions after the COVID-19 second wave, barring international travel.

Most of the state governments have also eased travel restrictions completely, with a few still demanding that travellers produce RT-PCR test reports if not double dose vaccinated, according to LocalCircles.

The rise in travel during the festive season is also likely to boost the hospitality sector, which recorded a revenue per available room (RevPAR) of Rs 1,582 during FY21, the lowest in the last 22 years, the release said quoting a report by Hotelivate.

According to the survey, there were also 38 per cent of citizens who “have no plans to travel during these three months”, and 16 per cent are undecided or couldn't say.

“On an aggregate basis, 46 per cent of citizens are planning to travel during October to December though only 6 per cent have made their bookings,” LocalCircles said, adding that the travel includes all modes of transport -- road, rail and air.

A similar survey conducted in July found that only 28 per cent of citizens planned to travel during August and September, it said.

When the responses given by citizens are aggregated on the basis of type as some plan to undertake multiple types of travel, it was found out that 34 per cent plan to “visit family and friends”, 28 per cent to visit a “holiday destination”, and 23 per cent “other kinds of travel”, according to LocalCircles.

“In summary, 48 per cent of citizens plan to travel during October-December though only 6 per cent have made their bookings.

"This indicates that airlines, hotels, travel portals are likely to see strong demand as the festive season progresses.

“Of those who plan to travel in October-December, 34 per cent plan to visit family and friends.

"A comparative analysis of the latest survey with a survey published in July found that October-December is likely to see 60 per cent jump in citizens travelling as compared to Monsoon Season (August-September),” the platform said.