MUMBAI: When it comes to cricket, price-sensitive Indians make an exemption, it seems. Around 75% Indians interviewed in a survey said they were willing to increase their travel budget to experience live cricket matches, said an online travel company.
“With the upcoming 2023 Cricket World Cup held in India, there is already a 46% spike in searches from within India to Ahmedabad, one of the host cities, for October this year,” said Skyscanner, which carried out the survey. Despite strong demand, prices on flights to Ahmedabad from Mumbai are 36% lower for the month of June 2023, compared to June 2022, it added.
In 2023, Indian travellers are taking it slow, with more travellers (46%) opting for more immersive travel over fast-paced travel (40%). “Rather than visiting as many places as possible, travellers are looking to spend more time in a single destination, taking their time to immerse themselves in the local culture,” it said.
According to Skyscanner data, over 38% of Indian travellers spend longer than 1 month on a single-destination trip, including domestic and international destinations, based on redirect data for the year 2023, which is significantly more when compared to travellers in Singapore (3%) and South Korea (8%).
Apart from this, over half of Indians (55%) are planning purpose-related travel in India to engage in activities such as scuba diving, golf, yoga, or wellness retreats, it said. One in two Indians are also actively planning a visit to holy places in the next 6 months.