Summer plans, long weekend leads to air travel uptick, says EaseMyTrip

Online travel company EaseMyTrip has witnessed a 40-50 per cent increase in advance air bookings for the upcoming summer season and the long Good Friday weekend. The platform also saw a 20-30 per cent jump in forward bookings for international travel for the months of May and June, with a significant rise in people who are travelling for longer vacations.

People also decided to move out of hometowns for the long Good Friday weekend with around 60 per cent jump in hotel bookings as compared to the corresponding period last year. EMT said that the average hotel stay this year has also increased from 3-5 days.

In terms of domestic travel destinations that sparked interest, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir, Rajasthan and Goa topped the list. For the leisure travellers, international locales like Dubai, Maldives, Thailand, and the United States are the most in demand, the EMT survey revealed.

What were the other major booking trends?

India's North East region may witness a greater tourist influx this year. EMT data points out that there has been a significant increase in bookings and inquiries for travel destinations in the North Eastern part of India. States such as Manipur, Tripura, and Assam are the most-favoured destinations for the travellers, it added.

While revenge travel has been one of the biggest factors driving the increase in bookings since last year, long weekend travel is now emerging as the new trend in the sector. There is also a substantial rise in leisure travel, with a significant number of travelers opting for group and family trips over solo vacations, as per the survey.

The company said that it has witnessed a 50 per cent jump in travelers opting for last minute bookings.

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