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Valentine's Day brings cheer to travel and tourism industry
The metro cities which have witnessed a rise in enquiries or bookings for staycations are Bengaluru followed by Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Kolkata. Additionally, destinations like Goa, Jaipur, Darjeeling and Coorg have seen adequate occupancy rise as well, said travel portals.
This Valentine's Day, young Indians are looking forward to spending quality time with their partners this weekend, according to travel and hotel booking websites.
Goibibo said more than 70% of the bookings for the weekend starting February 13 have been made for couple-friendly hotels and this is only expected to increase as the Valentine's Day approaches.
“Since the unlock phase, we are seeing strong growth momentum within the couple-friendly segment. In terms of the duration, more than 78% hotel properties are booked for a day –with many opting for three star or budget category hotels,” said Sunil Suresh, group chief marketing officer, goibibo.
Yatra.com said this year, they have witnessed around 20% hike in demand for staycation options and driveway destinations as customer confidence is building up.
“In 2021, for accommodation, we have seen a surge in enquiries for options such as homestays, cottages, and premium and luxury hotel properties," said Sabina Chopra, co-founder and COO, corporate travel & head industry relations of Yatra.com.
The metro cities which have witnessed a rise in enquiries or bookings for staycations are Bengaluru followed by Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Kolkata.
Additionally, destinations like Goa, Jaipur, Darjeeling and Coorg have seen adequate occupancy rise as well.
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Travel portals are also offering discounts to attract passengers. For instance, Cleartrip is offering up to ₹2,000 on round trips for bookings done between February 8 and 11 for travel between February 12 and 14.
“There is also a possible long weekend for some with Basant Panchami on February 16, which is a Tuesday,” said Rajiv Subramanian, vice president, Cleartrip.
“Goa has been the preferred leisure destination in the post lockdown period and this has continued for the Valentine's Day weekend. The increase in advance bookings, i.e. booking more than 30 days in advance was noticed for the Valentine's Day period. We have seen the share of 5-star and 4-star hotels increasing to account for more than 70% of our bookings,” said Subramanian.
