Beaches over mountains
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There are many who like to celebrate Diwali by stepping out of the city for a memorable time with loved ones rather than holding a traditional arrangement at home. This Diwali, Indians are preferring beaches over the mountains as their holiday destination this weekend, reveals Oyo.
A sneak peek into the booking data of Oyo for the Diwali week, shows people are heading to the land of beaches, Goa, this year followed by metro cities Delhi and Bangalore. Most bookings for Goa have come from Pune, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. In fact, with winter approaching, the Indians are preferring beaches over the mountains this year with more bookings for Goa, Mumbai, Puducherry and Visakhapatnam than the scenic beauties like Ooty, Lonavala, Mussoorie, Nainital, Manali, Darjeeling and Mount-Abu.
Commenting on the trends, Gaurav Ajmera, Chief Operating Officer, India & South Asia, OYO Hotels & Homes, said: “It is interesting to see how booking trends change every year with changing consumer needs. With the festive season around the corner, we are witnessing consumers stepping out of the city for a memorable time with loved ones whether it is Goa or neighbouring towns.
"Moreover, with consumer focused brands running creative campaigns and offering attractive services at great discounts during this time, we see a significant increase in bookings within the hospitality and tourism industry. We are expecting the bookings to increase manifold with large traction coming in from last-minute bookings.”
Staycation: Delhi and Bangalore witnessed most bookings from within the city showcasing how people are opting to relax this Diwali week.
Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities - Popular choices: A lot of bookings were witnessed for non-metro cities with people planning to visit destinations with historical and cultural significance during the festive season. Most Delhiites booked for Amritsar, Jaipur and Lucknow whereas Mumbaikars plan to visit Pune, Mahabaleshwar and Lonavala. People from Bangalore, on the other hand, are planning for Mysore, Ooty, Coorg, Mangalore, Kochi and Puducherry.
The company also saw maximum bookings by couples for the Diwali period closely followed by family outings. Also, app bookings were 17 times more than the desktop ones, thus showcasing the growing preference of Indians for bookings via apps.
