What holiday plans? Indians tripping on last-minute rush
domestic destinations, half a dozen experts at travel companies told ET.
Reasons: more visa-free destinations, lower average age of travellers, a rise in disposable incomes, and availability of spontaneous booking options. “We are observing a significant increase in last-minute bookings among Indian travellers,” said Bharatt Malik, senior vice-president, flights and hotel business, at travel platform Yatra Online.
“This is largely driven by the growing availability of flexible payment options (such as no-cost EMI and book now, pay later), which make spontaneous travel more accessible.” At Yatra Online, three out of 10 bookings are made within just three days of travel, and half the bookings are made within a week, Malik said. While booking early allows travellers to secure good deals, younger travellers increasingly prefer to keep their plans flexible, which often gives a sense of excitement and adventure and also lets them take advantage of last-minute deals.
Taking the cue, Yatra has started offering exclusive discounts for last-minute travellers through its ‘Last Minute Travel Deals’ campaign.Thomas Cook India, which offers customised holidays to customers, said many people are now booking short-haul travels under 7-10 days of travel and long hauls in 15 days. “This was quite unheard of in the pre-pandemic era,” said Rajeev Kale, president and country head for holidays, MICE and visa at Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. “The new age of travel has seen the emergence of a confident Indian,” he said. “Add to this growing
