Most Indian millennials prefer intl destinations with fewer COVID cases, easy protocols: Report

PTI, Sep 29, 2021, 2:01 PM IST

Mumbai: Most Indian millennials are keen on taking an international holiday but are cautious about COVID restrictions and better connectivity during the process of selecting these overseas destinations, says a report.

According to BOTT (Business of Travel Trade) Travel Sentiment Tracker, around 73 percent millennial travellers would prefer overseas destinations with fewer COVID cases.

Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are generally considered to be those born during the 1980s to mid-1990s.

About 67 percent of respondents said they would want to go to places that are with easy COVID policies and defined protocols to avoid unnecessary hassles while planning their holiday in the ensuing holiday season, the report said.

The report by BOTT Travel Sentiment Tracker is based on a survey done with over 7,800 millennial travellers across the country for over a period of five weeks during August and September 2021.

The report further revealed that 61 percent of millennials would look for better connectivity while selecting international travel destinations and 27 percent would prefer short-haul destinations.

“The findings reflect the pent-up travel demand among the Indian millennial travellers. We have started receiving queries for international holidays for the upcoming holiday season but travellers are cautious about Covid restrictions and better connectivity during the process of selecting these overseas destinations,” Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) president Riaz Munshi said.

According to the report, 83 percent millennials would prefer beach destinations for their next holidays followed by wellness and spa destinations and staycation at hotels and resorts at 65 percent and 53 percent, respectively.

It further found that 48 percent millennial respondents opted for golf destinations and 43 percent of them said they will go for shopping destinations.

Travellers are still looking for destinations with less crowd and minimum exposure, the report added.