Mumbai, March 23 Amid disruptions in the Middle East, a report released on Monday revealed that travel preferences have shifted in recent weeks, with more travelers opting for alternative international and domestic destinations, while Asian locations are seeing a surge in bookings this month.
Travel platform ixigo said it is observing a shift in preferences, with more travelers opting for alternative international destinations and domestic getaways in recent weeks.
This trend is being driven by evolving global dynamics, including flight disruptions and airspace constraints in the Middle East, prompting holidaymakers to favor more familiar and easily accessible locations, the report added.
For travel this month, Asian destinations have recorded a strong surge in flight bookings, with Vietnam emerging as the top international destination with a 130 per cent year-on-year increase in bookings, the report stated.
This was followed by Nepal (88 per cent), Sri Lanka (68 per cent), Indonesia (33 per cent), Singapore (32 per cent), and Thailand (22 per cent), it stated.
The report by ixigo is based on flight bookings on its platform from the beginning of this month and was compared with booking data during the corresponding period of last year.
It further revealed that domestic leisure travel is also gaining strong momentum, with Udaipur seeing a 69 per cent year-on-year rise in flight bookings, followed by Jodhpur (47 per cent), Bagdogra (44 per cent), Srinagar (41 per cent), and Agartala (38 per cent).
"While the Middle East has traditionally been among the top international destinations for Indian travelers this time of the year, recent weeks have seen preferences shift towards a broader set of markets amid evolving global dynamics. We're seeing a tilt towards closer Southeast Asian markets, with flight bookings rising significantly," added ixigo Co-Founder and Group CEO Aloke Bajpai.
