A significant demand is being witnessed in travel, especially for the domestic segment which is seeing a rise of almost 300 per cent in comparison to the pre-pandemic period.

According to data shared by the travel services company Thomas Cook, travel demand is back to overall 65 per cent of the pre-pandemic level. It further mentioned that in September 2021, domestic travel saw a growth of 290 per cent, while international stands at 55 per cent as compared to September 2019.

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“This year, we have seen high demand for travel within India. The key drivers for increase in the travel demand include young professionals, family travel, honeymooners and students,” said Romil Pant, Senior Vice President, Leisure Travel, Thomas Cook (India) Limited.

Festive season

Travel portal Ixigo is also experiencing a rise in travel demand. Data shared by it shows that demand for festive travel for September and October 2021 has seen encouraging growth in all three segments — flights, trains and buses.

Some of the most sought after destinations that are seeing strong demand are Rajasthan, Goa, and Andaman and Nicobar.

“Recently the market has seen a great bounce with 3 lakh plus daily flyers. For international leisure travel, there is a rise of 15–20 per cent in search queries for destinations like Dubai, Maldives and Russia. We have also seen a rise in search queries in the last two months for destinations like Switzerland, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Vancouver and London,” said Aloke Bajpai, Group CEO and Co-founder, Ixigo.

Also see: Hyderabadis eager to travel once again: Thomas Cook

With international destinations easing Covid-19 policies and protocols it is expected that the demand for leisure travel will go up further for Christmas and New Year holidays, added Bajpai.

Hotel occupancy

Meanwhile, larger hotels that are witnessing full occupancy might have to wait longer to go back to their pre-pandemic in terms of pricing level.

“Most hotels have been affected by the pandemic, including the five-star properties. As far as occupancy is concerned, hotels are full but there is a remarkable drop in room prices. If things remain as positive as they are right now, pricing will reach pre-Covid levels by mid 2023,” said Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice-President, Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India.

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