Post on 25-May-2020
H o l i d a y I Q . c o m I n s i g h t s : W i n t e r H o l i d a y s P r e d i c t i o n R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 1
HolidayIQ.com Insights: Winter Holidays Prediction Report 2013
The HolidayIQ.com Insights: Winter Holidays Prediction Report 2013 is an analysis of travellers
planning trips from November 2013 – January 2014. Based on the information submitted
continuously by a traveller community of over 50 lakh Indians per month, the intelligence team at
HolidayIQ.com, collates data from multiple on site user actions, analyses and identifies trends
that have emerged in domestic vacations in India.
Winter 2013: An overview
Travellers are taking longer & more expensive holidays this winter however, they are
travelling in shorter groups.
Beach & hill station destinations are most popular this winter accounting for almost 78%
holidays planned
Holidays are becoming more activity driven – from jet skiing and surfing at beach
destinations to trekking, rock climbing, white water rafting or skiing at hill stations or even
wildlife safaris or coracle rides travellers are looking for experiences to make holidays
more memorable.
Travellers spend more on accommodation when they are travelling to a desert, beach or
jungle destination and spend the least on pilgrimage destinations. Also, holidays planned
by women have 8% higher budget/person/night than those planned by men
As a traveller category, couple travellers are becoming an important segment. This year,
couple travellers account for 50% of total winter holidays planned and had the highest
budgets.
Family vacations also forms a large share in and accounts for 1/4th of total winter holidays
planned this year
Holiday planning is done more on weekdays, with maximum number of holidays being
planned on a Wednesday. Interestingly, holidays planned on Wednesdays have a 15%
higher budget than holidays planned on any other day, something travel agents and hotels
should make a note of.
The report covers the following:
Topic Page No.
I. 2012 V/s 2013 2
II. Destination Insights
Popular & emerging Destinations
Large number of Winter Travellers travel outside their region
3
III. Holiday planning behaviour
Home v/s at office, Weekdays v/s weekends
6
IV. Traveller Insights
Emergence of couple travellers
Family holidays: 1/4th of winter holidays are planned with kids
City-wise insights
7
V. Trends in Travel Budget:
Highest budgets allocated for Desert, Beach & Jungle destinations
12
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I. 2012 V/s 2013
Average holiday budgets per person per night have increased from Rs. 1564 in 2012 to
Rs. 2325 this winter, indicating a 48% rise
Compared to last year, trips have become longer by 36.3% with travellers taking an
average trip of 3.8 nights this year
However, people are planning trips in smaller groups with group size reducing by 16%.
Rs. 1,564
Rs. 2,325
Rs. 0
Rs. 500
Rs. 1,000
Rs. 1,500
Rs. 2,000
Rs. 2,500
2012 2013
Avg. budget/pers/night
2.8
3.8
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
2012 2013
Trip Length (Nights)4.7
3.9
3.4
3.6
3.8
4.0
4.2
4.4
4.6
4.8
2012 2013
Group Size
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II. Destination Insights
This winter, Beach & Hill station destinations are the most popular accounting for nearly
77% of all holidays planned
More travellers are opting for destinations outside their regions of residence.
Beach Holidays:
Beach Holidays are most popular accounting for over 40% trips this winter
Beach holidays today are no longer limited to lazing in a hammock, but include a lot of
water sports from wind surfing to jet skiing to scuba diving & snorkelling
In addition to popular beach destinations such as Goa & the Andaman & Nicobar
islands, lesser known beaches & hill stations are attracting travellers
1. Tarkarli, Maharashtra : A beautiful seaside village, known for its white sandy beaches, marine life & water
sports like scuba diving & snorkelling.
2. Ganapatipule, Maharashtra: Traditionally a destination attracting pilgrims, Ganapatipule is now emerging as a
favourite for beach lovers.
3. Diu, Daman & Diu:
A tiny island in the Arabian Sea, Diu is known for its serene virgin beaches and
resplendent forts. It is also becoming a popular choice for water sports enthusiasts
interested in wind-surfing & para-sailing
42.2%
36.4%
6.1%
5.0%
5%3%
1.2%
1.2%
0.5%
Destination Themes
Beach
Hill
Heritage
Pilgrimage
Jungle
City
Desert
Waterfront
Other
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4. Alibaug, Maharashtra: This 300-year old seaside town has something to offer for beachbums & heritage
seekers alike. In addition to its beautiful beaches, Alibaug attracts travellers to its
Portugese ruins, Buddhist caves & mughal baths
5. Mandarmani, West Bengal: a fast developing seaside village famous for water
sports such as surfing, jet skiing & parasailing. Mandarmani is known for its 13 km
long motorable stretch making it a must-visit spot for motorbiking & ATV rides.
Hill Station Holidays
Most popular hill station destinations
1) Ooty
2) Shimla
3) Manali
4) Darjeeling
5) Coorg
Emerging hill station destinations
1) Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra: Mahabaleshwar is now emerging as a popular holiday
destination. Known for its picturesque settings, pleasant weather, sites of historic
significance & fresh local produce it is a favourite especially for travellers from
Mumbai & Pune.
2) Munnar, Kerala: one of the popular hill station getaways in Kerala, Munnar is an
idyllic destination with rolling hills, grasslands, dense forests, brooks and rivulets,
waterfalls, lakes, tea plantations and walking trails.
3) Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh: The pristine hill station surrounded by forests is a part
of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. The Satpura National Park, Jata Shankar cave,
Pandav caves, Fairy Pool, Victorian churches and Big Falls are few of the major
attractions here. It is also emerging as an adventure sports destination with activities
like parasailing, trekking and rock climbing becoming increasingly popular.
4) Matheran, Maharashtra: Matheran is one among the eco-sensitive regions in the
world where motored vehicles are not allowed and is frequented by nature lovers and
wildlife enthusiasts. Matheran offers sightseeing attractions such as Porcupine Point,
Panorama Point, Echo Point, Charlott Lake, King George Point, Louisa Point,
Paymaster Park, Panthers’ Caves, Hart Point, etc. It is also popular for activities such as
trekking, hiking and rock climbing.
5) Saputara, Gujarat: This little known hill station has a lot to offer for all sorts of
travellers like the museum of Saputara, many beautifully designed gardens, facilities for
boating & sailing, Gira waterfalls, the Vansda National Park and the Purna Sanctuary.
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Travelling longer distances: 2/3rd
travellers are travelling outside their region:
Traditionally, it was observed that travellers prefer to travel within the region they reside
in. For instance, travellers from the north prefer holidaying in the north and travellers from
the west prefer holiday destinations in the west. However, in comparison to last year, this
winter there is a marked increase in travellers choosing holiday destinations outside the
region they reside in.
In 2012, only 41% of winter trips planned were outside the traveller’s region of residence
whereas this year such trips accounted for 66% of all trips planned
East and North East travellers travel outside their region more than others. However,
majority of South Indian travellers prefer travelling within their region.
41%
59%66%
34%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Outside Region Within Region
Travellers travelling withing and outside their region
2012 2013
75.4% 72.8% 69.5% 66.4%
41.1%
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0%
East North East North West South
% of travellers travelling outside their region
East
North East
North
West
South
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III. Holiday planning behaviour:
73.2% holidays are planned on weekdays and only 26.8% on weekends.
Wednesday is the most popular day for planning holidays accounting for 16% of all
holidays planned. Further, holidays planned on Wednesdays have a budget 15% higher
than those planned on any other day.
Holidays planned by women have 8% higher budget/person/night than those planned by
men
2/3rd
of holiday planning was done from work
Holidays planned by women have 8% higher budget/person/night than those planned by
men
73.2%
26.8%
When are the Winter Holidays Planned
Weekday
Weekend
54.4%
45.6%
Where are the Winter Holidays Planned
Home
Office
Rs. 2,485 Rs. 2,304
Rs. 500
Rs. 1,500
Rs. 2,500
Rs. 3,500
Planned by Women Planned by Men
Accommodation budget/person/night
Planned by Women
Planned by Men
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IV. Traveller Insights
Emergence of couple travellers: Couple travellers are emerging as an important
category of travellers accounting for 50% of all trips planned
Family vacations form a significant part of winter holidays, accounting for 26% of all
trips planned
North Indians spend more and go for longer holidays as compared to South Indians
Gujaratis have the highest average group size, travellers from Haryana have the lowest
Holidays by Couple travellers form 50% of total winter holidays –
During the rest of the year, holidays planned by couple travellers holidays account for
30-35% of total holidays, however during winter this share goes to 50%
Couple travellers plan longer & more expensive holidays allocating the highest average
budget of Rs.2611 per person per night, followed by family travellers at Rs.2137, group
travellers at Rs. 1974 & single travellers at Rs. 1693
Below is a comparison
50.1%
26.0%
21.9%
2.1%
Traveller Group Types
Couple
Family
Group
Single
Rs. 2,611
Rs. 2,137 Rs. 1,974Rs. 1,693
Rs. 0
Rs. 500
Rs. 1,000
Rs. 1,500
Rs. 2,000
Rs. 2,500
Rs. 3,000
Couple Family Group Single
Accommodation budget/person/night
Couple
Family
Group
Single
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More than half the holidays taken by couple travellers is honeymoon travel.
Favorite destinations of couple travellers are below –
i. Andaman & Nicobar
ii. Goa
iii. Kerala
iv. Ooty
v. Shimla
Emerging destinations frequented by couple travellers
i. Matheran, Maharashtra Matheran is frequented by nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts and offers
sightseeing attractions such as Porcupine Point, Panorama Point, Echo Point,
Charlott Lake, King George Point, Louisa Point, Paymaster Park, Panthers’
Caves, Hart Point, etc. It is also popular for activities such as trekking, hiking
and rock climbing.
ii. Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh The pristine hill station surrounded by forests is a part of the UNESCO
Biosphere Reserves. The Satpura National Park, Jata Shankar cave, Pandav
caves, Fairy Pool, Victorian churches and Big Falls are few of the major
attractions here. It is also emerging as an adventure sports destination with
activities like parasailing, trekking and rock climbing becoming increasingly
popular.
3.823.68 3.72
3.25
2.80
3.00
3.20
3.40
3.60
3.80
4.00
Couple Family Group Single
Average Trip Length (nights)
Couple
Family
Group
Single
54.4%37.3%
5.0%3.3%
Intent of Holidays
Honeymoon
Casual Vacation
Adventure
Others
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iii. Wayanad, Kerala
Mist covered valleys, luxuriant forests, spice plantations, hill ranges, waterfalls,
wildlife sanctuaries and Stone Age sites are some of the popular attractions of
Wayanad.
iv. Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh
Araku Valley is a scenic hill station famous for its coffee plantations, green
hills, trekking trails, waterfalls and dense forests. Borra caves, with its million-
year old stalactites and stalagmites attracts many travellers during winter.
v. Tarkarli, Maharashtra: A beautiful seaside village, known for its white sandy beaches, marine life &
water sports like scuba diving & snorkelling.
Family Vacations: 1/4th
of winter holidays are planned with kids
Due to winter holidays in schools, family vacations form a significant part of winter
holidays, accounting for 26% of all trips planned
Below are the popular destinations where travellers are holidaying with kids
i. Goa
ii. Puri
iii. Pachmarhi
iv. Kerala
v. Visakhapatnam
Lot of travellers are taking their kids to lesser know destinations. Below are the top 5 –
i. Chikhaldara, Maharashtra
A beautiful hill station replete with wildlife, lakes, waterfalls and viewpoints ,
Chikhaldara is known for the Gugamal National Park, Chikhaldara Wildlife
Sanctuary, Melghat Tiger Reserve and Semadoh Lake
ii. Matheran, Maharashtra
Matheran is frequented by nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts and offers
sightseeing attractions such as Porcupine Point, Panorama Point, Echo Point,
Charlott Lake, King George Point, Louisa Point, Paymaster Park, Panthers’
Caves, Hart Point, etc. It is also popular for activities such as trekking, hiking
and rock climbing.
iii. Saputara, Gujarat
This little known hill station has a lot to offer for all sorts of travellers like the
museum of Saputara, many beautifully designed gardens, facilities for boating
& sailing, Gira waterfalls, the Vansda National Park and the Purna Sanctuary
iv. Jaldapara, West Bengal
is famous for one-horned rhinos, royal Bengal tigers, wild elephants, sambhar,
barking deer, spotted deer ,hog deer, wild pig, bisons and a number of birds and
peafowls. Elephants and Safari Jeeps are available to tour the entire sanctuary.
v. Kanha, Madhya Pradesh
Jungle safaris & animal spotting at Kanha can be an exciting experience as it
houses some rare species of tigers, leopards, wild dogs, wild cats, fox, jackals
and Indian Bison. Visiting hours are only in the early mornings and from late
afternoon to sunset. Other attractions in Kanha include the Kanha Museum,
displaying the culture of indigenous tribes.
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North Indians spend more and go for longer holidays as compared to South Indians
Below is a comparison of average budget per person per night and average trip length
of North Indian and South Indian travellers.
30% of North Indians plan to travel to South India this winter holiday season. While
just 15% of South Indians are travelling to North India.
Below are the favorite destinations of North Indians –
i. Goa
ii. Andaman & Nicobar
iii. Kerala
iv. Manali
v. Shimla
Below are the favorite destinations of South Indians
i. Andaman & Nicobar
ii. Goa
iii. Ooty
iv. Coorg
v. Kerala
Rs. 2,692
Rs. 2,254
Rs. 500
Rs. 1,000
Rs. 1,500
Rs. 2,000
Rs. 2,500
Rs. 3,000
North South
Accommodation budget/person/night
North
South
3.93.3
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
North South
Average Trip Length (Nights)
North
South
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Gujaratis have the highest average group size, travellers from Haryana have the lowest
Average group size of Gujaratis is 4.8 persons per trip. This figure for travellers from
Haryana is just 3 persons per trip
Overall, travellers from West India travel in larger groups. North Indians have the
smallest average group size.
Theme of destinations where travellers travel in the largest groups are below –
Below are the top 5 destinations with the largest average group size –
i. Vaishno Devi (Pilgrimage)
ii. Puri (Pilgrimage)
iii. Jaisalmer (Desert)
iv. Ranthambore (Jungle)
v. Rameshwaram(Pilgrimage)
3.33.7 3.8 3.9
4.3
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
North North East South East West
Average Trip Length (Nights)
North
North East
South
East
West
5.3 5.0 4.9
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
Desert Jungle Pilgrimage
Average Trip Length (Nights)
Desert
Jungle
Pilgrimage
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V. Trends in Travel Budget
Travellers have the highest budget for holidays in Desert, Beach and Jungle
destinations
This winter, the most expensive holidays are being planned to the Agatti island in
Lakshadweep and the least expensive ones to Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
Holidays planned by women have 8% higher budget/person/night than those planned by
men
Travellers from Chandigarh have the highest average holiday budgets, whereas
travellers from Durgapur have the lowest
Travellers have the highest budget for holidays in Desert, Beach and Jungle destinations
Travellers spend more on accommodation when they are travelling a desert, beach or
jungle destination. They spend the lowest on Pilgrimage destinations.
Travellers spend the most on accommodation while travelling to the below destinations
Rs. 2,741Rs. 2,553
Rs. 2,365Rs. 2,202
Rs. 2,062Rs. 1,902 Rs. 1,874
Rs. 1,579
Rs. 1,213
Rs. 0
Rs. 500
Rs. 1,000
Rs. 1,500
Rs. 2,000
Rs. 2,500
Rs. 3,000Average budget/pers/night
Desert
Beach
Jungle
Hill
Honeymoon
Waterfront
Heritage
Rs. 3,724
Rs. 3,319
Rs. 2,974 Rs. 2,944 Rs. 2,887 Rs. 2,788
Rs. 0
Rs. 500
Rs. 1,000
Rs. 1,500
Rs. 2,000
Rs. 2,500
Rs. 3,000
Rs. 3,500
Rs. 4,000
Agatti Ranthambore Andaman & Nicobar
Coorg Kerala Jaisalmer
Average budget/pers/night
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Travellers spend the least on accommodation while traveling to the below destinations
Below are the top 5 cities of travellers who have the highest budgets
Below are the top 5 cities of travellers who have the lowest budgets
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contributed by millions of Indian travellers. After finding all the information needed to plan holidays,
travellers can compare hotel availability and prices among all leading online travel agencies from within
HolidayIQ.com and proceed to book with the vendor of choice. Alternatively, they can search, find, connect
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credible traveller community contributed content on the website provide Indian travellers with a
comprehensive set of options to book their next holiday.
Rs. 1,114Rs. 1,186 Rs. 1,187
Rs. 1,305 Rs. 1,341
Rs. 0
Rs. 200
Rs. 400
Rs. 600
Rs. 800
Rs. 1,000
Rs. 1,200
Rs. 1,400
Rs. 1,600
Rameshwaram Araku Valley Puri Vaishno Devi Visakhapatnam
Average budget/pers/night
Rs. 3,387
Rs. 3,081Rs. 3,006
Rs. 2,904 Rs. 2,891
Rs. 2,600
Rs. 2,800
Rs. 3,000
Rs. 3,200
Rs. 3,400
Rs. 3,600
Chandigarh Amritsar Allahabad Faridabad Ludhiana
Average budget/pers/night
Rs. 1,468Rs. 1,519
Rs. 1,613
Rs. 1,705 Rs. 1,711
Rs. 1,300
Rs. 1,400
Rs. 1,500
Rs. 1,600
Rs. 1,700
Rs. 1,800
Durgapur Kolkata Varanasi Vishakapatnam Jamshedpur
Average budget/pers/night
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About HolidayIQ.com: HolidayIQ.com is India’s largest holiday information portal powered by India's first & biggest travel
community - its purpose is to unleash the power of user opinions to create a smarter Indian traveler.
HolidayIQ.com has about 30000 Indian hotels & 1300 Indian destinations listed on the website and is used
by 50 Lac Indian travellers every month for planning their trips.
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or fully owned by any travel agency or hotel chain or any other travel industry player. Therefore
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