Passion tourism: Combining thirst for travel with a deep interest

Passion tourism, which involves combining thirst for travel with a deep interest or hobby, is on the rise in India. Here’s a deep dive on the trend

Travellers are increasingly letting their passion drive their trips. Think music lovers attending popstar Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Singapore, cricket fans flying to the US for the recently concluded T20 World Cup, or sports lovers booking tickets for the Paris Olympics 2024.

Travel operators have recorded a surge in bookings this year during the WT20 in the US & West Indies and Paris Olympics

WHAT IS PASSION TOURISM?

Ever travelled to Lucknow only to devour succulent kebabs, or planned a weekend getaway to Mohali to watch a cricket match or jet-setted abroad for a once-in-a-lifetime live music concert? If yes, you’ve engaged in passion tourism. It typically involves combining the thirst for travel with a deep interest. You could passion-travel for adventure, sports, wildlife, music, food — the list is endless.

‘A STRONG SHIFT’ IN INDIAN TRAVELLERS’ PREFERENCES

“When Taylor Swift and Coldplay announced their concert dates in June 2023, Singapore witnessed a 10x rise in year-on-year searches by travellers from around the world. In May this year, our search data showed a 30% spike in year-on-year searches by Indian travellers for Paris during the 2024 Olympics,” says Santosh Kumar, country manager for India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia, at Booking.com.

“We’ve seen a strong shift in Indian travellers’ preferences and will to spend on experiences,” says Daniel D’Souza, president and country head, Holidays, SOTC Travel, adding, “Occasion or eventbased travel for events such as Coachella and Tomorrowland, cultural festivals such as La Tomatina, and experiences such as chasing the Northern Lights in Norway, or African safaris, have seen a growing demand.”

Kumar says, “This year, 25% of Indian travellers plan to visit a place to experience a cultural event, 21% intend to travel for a music festival or concert and 17% for a sporting event.”

DOMESTIC PASSION PROJECTS RULE, TOO

“The trend is not confined to just international events. There is also a high demand to explore domestic, state-specific events such as Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival, Ziro Festival in Arunachal Pradesh and Magnetic Fields Festival in Rajasthan, among others,” says Rajeev Kale, president & country head (Holidays, MICE, Visa), Thomas Cook (India) Limited. “During Rann Utsav (Gujarat), there was a 19% spike in booking searches. At the time of the Hornbill Festival, there was a 13% rise in passengers flying to Nagaland,” says Karthick Prabu, head of strategy, Cleartrip.

SETJETTING

“Shows like The White Lotus (above) and Emily in Paris inspire viewers to combine specific destination and things in entertainment they are passionate about,” says Nishant Pitti, CEO and co-founder, EaseMyTrip. The buzz around passion tourism also comes from actors indulging their interests through travel, be it Kareena Kapoor Khan safaring in Tanzania earlier this year or Dia Mirza visiting Assam’s Kaziranga National Park on World Wildlife Day (March 3) this year.

THE 2024 PASSION TRAVEL BUCKET LIST

Hornbill Festival, Nagaland (Dec 1-10)

Pushkar Camel Fair, Rajasthan (Nov 9 onwards)

Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa (Dec 15-22)

Mysore Dasara, Karnataka (Oct 3)

Mumbai Comic-Con (Jul 25-28)

55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa (Nov 20-28)