US, Russia and Maldives have emerged as the top three most-searched international destinations for Indian travellers. (Photo: Getty/Thinkstock) It is no secret that Indian travellers have been wanting to pack their bags and go out exploring the world for a long time now. Since last year, the pandemic has imposed several restrictions on people’s movements, especially with respect to planning international trips. While for the large part of 2020, international borders remained shut, things have started looking up again in 2021, with the availability of vaccines.
As such, digital travel company Booking.com has shared with this outlet a list of the top-searched domestic and international destinations by Indians in the month of August 2021.
Interestingly, US, Russia and Maldives have emerged as the top three most-searched international destinations in this month. When it comes to domestic destinations, while New Delhi has taken the top spot, other picturesque places in the north like Leh and Udaipur are among the top-10 most-searched places.
Top-searched international destinations in the month of August 2021:
1. USA
2. Russia
3. Maldives
4. Switzerland
5. Qatar
6. Canada
7. UK
8. Mexico
9. Armenia
10. France
Domestic travel preferences by Indian travellers:
Domestic travel continues to remain prevalent with many looking forward to exploring their own country and choosing destinations closer to home. The data reveals 52 per cent of Indian travellers are looking to explore their home country this year. As mentioned earlier, big cities like New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru are the top-searched ones.
Big cities like New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru are among the top-searched domestic destinations. (Photo: Getty/Thinkstock)
1. New Delhi
2. Mumbai
3. Lonavala
4. Bengaluru
5. Chennai
6. Kolkata
7. Jaipur
8. Hyderabad
9. Leh
10. Udaipur
But even as they look to plan a trip again, Indians continue to prioritise health and safety. Per the data, cleanliness continues to be a top aspect for travellers with more guests searching for transparency around cleaning measures at the accommodation.
Ritu Mehrotra, regional manager South Asia at Booking.com said, “With more and more Indians getting vaccinated and travel restrictions being lifted in phases, we are starting to see pent-up demand for travel. Travel trends that emerged during the pandemic such as closer-to-home destinations, staycations and road-trips still remain popular, but at the same time we are also seeing travel intent gradually resume for international travel.”
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