Indian travelers keen to try unique, hosted stays: study

The online marketplace for vacation rentals and other Airbnb accommodation has released its latest roundup of key travel trends in India, with the study taking place in the first half of 2021.

Happy # World Tourism Day! Here is a roundup of some of the top travel trends in India:

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– Airbnb India (@Airbnb_in) September 27, 2021

According to the summary, Indian travelers continue to focus on domestic destinations, where they have explored new destinations adjacent to subways, in the hills and off the beaten path that offer local experiences.

Searches for international locales are also increasing as more countries begin to lift restrictions.

The data also highlights how homestay hosts have benefited from renting their spaces, with millennials and senior hosts eagerly awaiting high income and growth.

More Indians are exploring flexible stays and unique accommodations when traveling

With Airbnb’s Flexible Destinations option, travelers experience unique accommodations, from houseboats and domes to A-frames and even private islands. The search or booking option with flexible dates has been a huge success. The study also found that farm stays were the most popular type of accommodation, followed by cottages, mud houses and tree houses.

Read: Host families are the new workspaces

Goa remains a key national destination

Popular domestic destinations are always sought after for hosted trips. Goa continues to be the most searched destination for host families, followed by Delhi, Lonavala and Bengaluru, revealed internal Airbnb data measuring searches by guests from January to June 2021.

Related: Goa Through My Lens

Hosted travel is essential across generations and demographics

With the growing popularity of hosted travel, even millennials are also opening up their seats to welcome travelers. Interestingly, over 50% of new Airbnb hosts to India in the first half of 2021 were millennials between the ages of 25 and 40. The top five states where the new hosts were based are Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

Consumer confidence in international travel continues to grow

If you are wondering if opening travel bubbles with different countries has changed sentiment towards international travel, the summary indicated that searches for destinations such as Canada, UK, Europe and the United Arab Emirates was on the rise during this period.

The future of travel is sustainable

One of the promising signs of travel to India is that there has been a growing interest among Indian travelers to make sustainable choices when traveling, the summary revealed. The majority of guests have actively researched green features in the accommodations they have chosen.

Related: 6 Green Learning Holidays To Continue

Rise of digital nomads and the need to stay connected at all times

As the increasing flexibility to live and work from anywhere continues, being able to determine an ad’s WiFi speed before booking is a must for digital nomads. Airbnb’s WiFi speed list feature helps travelers book their perfect accommodation.

Read also: Digital nomads: the future is here

Commenting on these trends, Amanpreet Bajaj, Managing Director – Airbnb India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, said: “Travel demand is increasing and the industry is showing positive signs of its ability to meet the challenge of the recovery. Indian travelers are always eager to identify unique accommodations that they may not have experienced before. Travelers are also increasingly aware of sustainable travel and eco-friendly choices when traveling.