NEW DELHI: The vast majority of Indian travelers feel comfortable about the country reopening its borders for international travelers. A report released by Dutch-online travel agency Booking.com said that Indians are also eager to drive and fly for a leisure trip despite some restrictions.
As the world begins to emerge from strict border closures, Indians look forward to traveling in the next few months. About 86 percent of Indian travelers surveyed said they intend to travel in the next 12 months. And despite some COVID-19 restrictions, travel optimism remains high with 70% of Indian travelers acknowledging anticipated travel disruptions and 78% considering leisure travel as important, keeping overall health and safety in mind.
The company released its Asia Pacific ‘Travel Confidence Index’, which surveyed nearly 11,000 travelers from 11 countries in the Asia Pacific.
The report said that among the 11 Asia Pacific markets, India is the most confident, followed by Vietnam and China.
While the North Asian markets of Korea, Taiwan and Japan ranked lower on the index in terms of overall confidence, travel intent among respondents remained relatively high (above 60%).
The willingness to travel remains high among Asia Pacific as well as Indian travellers, with the ease of planning and booking travel, as well as cost being the top consideration.
While corporate travel has started to make a comeback, the shift to remote working and virtual meetings has brought about a change in the way people work. Despite many employees returning to office across India, only 25% of Indian travelers (an average of 13% in Asia Pacific) indicated that work was a reason for them to book a trip.
Indians continue to welcome tourists and visitors, with 87% of Indians voting comfortable with India reopening its borders to international travellers. And 84% of Indian travelers said they are confident about their country’s preparedness to receive international passengers safely.
“The findings highlight Indian travelers’ love for travel and their readiness to explore the world once again,” said Ritu Mehrotra, Commercial Director, Asia Pacific for Booking.com.