DRMumbai: Travel Tours, the leisure travel brand of FCM Travel Solutions, released its first Outbound Travel Survey for 2019 before the start of the busy summer travel season. The Survey was conducted individually with more than 1200 respondents within the age group of 25-65 years across 8 key cities in India who had booked international travel recently on the platform.
Speaking about the Survey report, Rakshit Desai, Managing Director, FCM Travel Solutions, Indian Subsidiary of Flight Centre Travel Group said, “The Travel Tours’ Leisure Travel Survey 2019 gives us a unique insight into the travel preferences of the discerning Indian traveller. With the rise in disposable incomes, ease of access to new and upcoming holiday destinations and convenience in planning and booking holidays online, the number of Indians travelling abroad has multiplied exponentially. At Travel Tours we believe in designing the best travel packages available based on travel behaviour, and this survey has helped us delve deeper into the psyche of the Indian traveller and helped us tailor our offerings to suit their individual needs.”
According to the Survey, more and more travellers are coming out of their comfort zones and travelling to newer destinations to experience their hobbies or unexplored interests. However, interestingly, the preference is still to explore these new destinations as part of friends’ or family group (preferred choice of 45.6 per cent of travellers polled) and not as a solo traveller. This group is further broken down with 71 per cent opting to travel with their immediate family while the remaining choosing to include extended family and friends. Beach Holidays, the hottest trend last summer, has taken a backseat (34.8 per cent) while Adventure Holidays came in second with a preference rating of 45 per cent.
“With the rise in disposable incomes, ease of access to new and upcoming holiday destinations and convenience in planning and booking holidays online, the number of Indians travelling abroad has multiplied exponentially”
Rakshit Desai, Managing Director, FCM Travel Solutions
The Survey also found that South-East Asia continued to be a preferred destination with the Indian Outbound Traveller with 35.3 per cent having visited over the last six months and 30.7 per cent intending to visit over the next six months. This was followed by Middle East and South Asia.
Interestingly, 72.9 per cent of Indian travellers still prefer to save up before planning a holiday with only a small pool of respondents willing to opt for travel loans.
Known for its range of customized travel offerings, Travel Tours (www.traveltours.in) is the flagship leisure travel brand of FCM Travel Solutions. It offers ‘unbeatable’ services both in pricing and quality. Currently, there are 37 Travel Tours stores across all leading cities in India – Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Chennai, Kolkata and Anand, among other cities. Travel Tours was constituted by bringing together Travel Tours, a strong brand in South India which has been in existence since 1977, and the erstwhile Flight Shop, well-known in North and West India.
Winner of the World’s Leading Travel Management Company Award at the WTM for seven consecutive years (2011-2018), FCM Travel Solutions (www.in.fcm.travel) is the business travel partner of choice for large national, multinational and global corporations, worldwide. FCM is ranked as one of the top five travel management companies. FCM is transforming the business of travel through its empowered and accountable people who deliver 24/7 service and are available either online or offline. Leveraging FCM’s negotiating strength and supplier relationships in conjunction with tailored business travel programmes, its expertise is delivered to clients where it matters most.
THE SURVEY IN A NUTSHELL
- The Survey reveals the travel habits of Indians planning a holiday abroad in the next six months
- Family vacations still a priority for the Indian traveller with nearly 47 per cent of the target group opting to travel in family groups for outbound travel
- Adventure Holidays pulls in a close second with 45 per cent of respondents choosing that over traditional sightseeing tours
- South-East Asia continues to be the preferred destination of Indian Outbound travellers
