Within the next few days, summer vacations will be a memory in most parts of India, with schools reopening and the rainy season extending its reach to much of the country. Traditionally considered an inauspicious period for work or travel, the rainy months are when people stay put at home, awaiting for the weather to clear and the festive season to dawn.
Perhaps no longer. If statistics of travel aggregators are any indication, India is witnessing an unprecedented monsoon travel boom this year, a trend that goes against conventional behaviour and travel norms and classifications.
Digital travel platform Agoda has found a 410 per cent increase in travel searches for the June-to-August monsoon period, contrasted to the 2019 (pre-Covid) statistic.
Indians are, very apparently, not quite happy to cool their heels indoors while the rains lash outside. According to Agoda, the top destinations on Indian travellers' radar this monsoon are Goa, Manali, Ooty, Nainital, and surprise, surprise, even Mumbai.
Internationally, Indians gravitate towards Southeast Asia (Bali, Singapore, Bangkok and Phuket emerging favourites according to Agoda) and Dubai.
“Indian tourism has experienced significant rebound and growth this year, both domestically and internationally,” said Krishna Rathi, country director at Agoda. “Agoda’s data reaffirms the rising proclivity of Indians to travel more, year on year. This also demonstrates how travel for Indians is no longer restricted to summer, festive, or year-end holidays.”
Other travel platforms, too, have been flooded with monsoon bookings, which is surprising considering that the rainy season actually sees a dip in ticket fares and passenger occupancy, coming as it does after the peak summer vacation rush, not to forget the inclement weather. “As we immerse ourselves in the enchantment of the monsoons, both domestic and international travel wish lists take centre stage,” said a statement issued by ixigo, another travel aggregator, which says it has seen an increase of 70 per cent compared to last year’s monsoon travel demand.
Interestingly, ixigo also noticed two distinctly new trends evolving among Indian travellers — majority of travellers now prefer shorter trips, lasting one to three days. Second has been the remarkable increase in solo travellers — ixigo’s own data puts it at an increase of 62 per cent over 2022. According to ixigo, “this surge reflects a growing preference for independent exploration and highlights the desire among travellers to embark on solo adventures during the monsoon season.”
Perhaps the rising airfares may also be a reason for this monsoon deluge — with rates remaining unaffordable for many through the summer, those with wanderlust might just have snapped up tickets for monsoon season when fares started going down after the peak rush.
“Additionally, many airlines roll out monsoon sales with significant discounts on flights, particularly during the month of July, making it an opportune time for travellers to plan their trips in advance,” said Aloke Bajpai, co-founder & group CEO of ixigo.