Indians are Becoming More Holiday Friendly People: Velocity MR Report

Velocity MR, a market research and analysis company announced the results of their pan India study to understand holidaying trends and the impact of mobile apps to this end. The study included a sample size of 2,103 and covered prominent Indian metros including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Chennai.

Indians holiday more now than ever before. Both local and International holidays have become a norm for the modern Indian, breaking away from traditional routines which once limited them to visiting friends and family or for religious purposes. The study finds that the average Indian is now unabashedly a holiday enthusiast. The frequency of holidays have also gone up drastically with over 80% of the respondents having admitted having indulged in at least four holidays in a year.

Another interesting observation is the fact that while Paytm is the most used app for travel today but will Google Pay give it a tough fight in the years to come? More than half the respondents have given Google Pay the thumbs up when it comes to trust. While brands like Amazon and Uber give local Unicorns a tough fight, will we see a similar fight in the lucrative e-wallets space?

Adds Jasal Shah, Managing Director & CEO of Velocity MR, “With the advent of technology the average Indian has never had it better. They are discovering that air travel and holiday destinations are in fact within reach and not a faraway dream as once imagined. Indulging in offbeat travel plans, planning holidays with a twist and international travel are popular these days.”

He further adds, “Festival tourism has also taken off In India. Till a couple of years ago festival celebrations were limited to family homes, today entire families travel together for the celebration and enjoy the festival and a vacation both at the same time. Mobile apps have expanded individual research capabilities and help people make well thought out plans basis online reviews and user feedback.”

Highlights of the Study

• Holidays are no longer special times that people have to wait years for. Annually people go for multiple breaks. 8 out of 10 people have taken up to 4 breaks in the past year. Weekend getaway, as well as well-planned vacations, are on the rise
• 6 out of 10 respondents seek leisure & relaxation from their trips
• 9 out of 10 respondents use at least six mobiles apps for travel purposes
• 96% use Paytm for making payments
• More than half the respondents believe Google Pay will grow rapidly due to the trust factor
• More than 60% of respondents use mobile apps for hotel booking & ticketing apps
• 7 of every 10 Phonepe users are planning to go on a ‘Wine Tasting’ vacation and 6 in every 10 on a ‘Shopping vacation’ in the next year
• Payment, Hotel booking & Ticketing, Social Networking, and Navigation are the most sought-after apps
• The study reveals that almost all (99%) use one or the other mobile apps for multiple reasons to enhance/ease their travel experience
• 40% of travelers using MapmyIndia are planning to take a trekking vacation in the next year and 30% a sightseeing vacation
• 7 in 10 of Google play music users, and Gaana users are planning to take a road trip in the next 12 months. While 1 in every 2 of the Saavn users will take a road trip next year
• 8 out of 10 Zomato and Swiggy users are thinking of taking a ‘Wine tasting ‘or ‘Gastronomy vacation’ in the next year
• An app that would give the location details tops the vacationers’ wish list
• Few respondents believe that a travel app with emergency service features would be beneficial for travelers.
• 1 in every 2 Goibibo users has made 1-2 shorts trips in the past year
• 1 in every 2 Yaatra users has made 4 short trips (holiday) in the past one year.