Indians appreciate vacations with loved ones more compared to pre-pandemic days: OYO survey

PTI, Feb 13, 2022, 12:09 PM IST

Indians appreciate vacations with loved ones more now as compared to pre-pandemic days and one-third of them have already made travel plans to celebrate Valentine’s Day together, according to a global consumer survey by hospitality technology platform OYO.

Nearly 62 per cent of Indian respondents were looking to treat their loved ones to a quick getaway to a nearby destination, as per OYO’s global Valentine’s Day consumer index ‘Let Love In With Travel 2022’.

Stating that travel plays a huge part in bonding with loved ones, the OYO survey said the world took this for granted until the pandemic pulled the brakes on travel plans.

”Two out of three respondents said they appreciate vacations with loved ones more today than pre-pandemic days. Indian respondents don’t take their holidays for granted anymore,” it added.

The survey was conducted in February and covered around 2,000 respondents across India, the UK, the USA, Indonesia and Germany.

When it comes to Valentine’s Day destinations, a majority of Indian travellers prefer to spend the day by the beach in Goa, followed by the cozy hillside of Manali, it said.

Nearly 38 per cent of them said they travel to spend quality time and share meaningful experiences with loved ones, while 26 per cent travelled for a break from the routine and another 25 per cent for the love of exploring new places and cultures.

”A whopping 84 per cent also believe that travel strengthens their relationships with loved ones,” the survey said.

A majority of Indian respondents voted for Paris as the city that best defines the statement ‘Love is in the air’, followed by Goa and Kolkata.

However, as for India’s top international wishlist for Valentine’s Day, the survey said, ”With 28 per cent each, India remains divided between Paris and Maldives. Switzerland takes the third spot.” As for dream proposals on the day, 31 per cent of the respondents said they would ”prefer the question to be popped on a cruise during sunset in Goa”, while ”18 per cent said they would say yes while enjoying snowfall at a homestay in Himachal Pradesh”.

In Germany, according to the survey one in two respondents would love to spend Valentine’s Day by the beach, while 70 per cent preferred spending the day with their partners or spouse, followed by family. ”Similar to India, respondents in Germany also feel they appreciate travelling with loved ones more today compared to pre-pandemic days,” it added.

Likewise, 54 per cent of respondents in Indonesia also said they would love to travel on Valentine’s Day but a majority of them voted for ”Bandung, a city set amid volcanoes and tea plantations”, as the city that best defines the saying ‘Love is in the air’.

Similarly, ”spending quality time and sharing meaningful experiences with loved ones” is America’s favourite reason to travel, the survey found.

Most of the American respondents were set to celebrate Valentine’s Day soaking the sun at the beaches of Florida and about 10 per cent of them associated Paris as the city that best defines ‘Love is in the air’.