MAP YOUR TRAIL
Recent surveys map the travel preferences of Indians, describing them as the most adventurous travelers. Team Viva reports
Bus travel is back for weekender Media Focus trips among smart Indians if the journey involves manageable hours. And when it comes to the Asia-Pacific region, Indians appear to be the most adventurous. These findings are part of two surveys released during World Tourism Day yesterday. Published on World Tourism Day, the two latest surveys seek to uncover insights into traveler preferences and habits, from their content consumption patterns to their travel must-dos and the number of consumer propensities concerning journeying by different modes of transport. In a country as diverse as India, numerous destinations cannot be seen in one’s entire lifetime. People who have lived most of their lives here and have traveled widely are still amazed by the list of unexplored places in this land of gods and goddesses.
India’s leading bus booking platform, Travelyaari, published a significant study that maps Indians’ travel preferences. Based on interaction with a sample size of 500 customers*, the survey sheds light on several consumer propensities concerning journeying by bus. The respondents were ethnically diverse and hail from cities as varied as Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune. Important findings and insights were uncovered during the survey. The survey pointed to time being a crucial factor when planning a journey. While some want the time spent in a vehicle to be as short as possible, others believe in enjoying the journey as much as the destination.
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The survey revealed that if the journey duration is between 5 and 12 hours, 76% of travelers in India choose bus transport. For shorter trips, the road remains the preferred option across the country. Of the customers surveyed, almost 60% were a part of a family with one child, and 40% had two children. Transport choices also seem to be dictated by the availability of additional incentives. Apart from regular discounts, online bus booking is highly influenced by the ease of use and loyalty points offered, with 57% of respondents marking offers and ease of use as their primary incentive. It has been observed from the findings that the respondents from different segments prefer to travel by bus when it is an overnight journey to visit their native place and tend to prefer bus travel because of the comfort and ease of booking.
The questionnaire also included inquiries about the participant’s details, such as age, gender, and profession. 55% of the survey participants were private-sector employees and software engineers who used the bus for short weekend travel to visit family and business, displaying the high demand for comfortable and swift travel, especially for a short distance.
Further, the survey included questions regarding the preferred leisure activity of respondents, which revealed that 52% of customers chose to watch TV and movies to relax and unwind during their road journeys. LCD/LED screens on seatbacks, as is the case in many airlines and Wi-Fi-routers, would, thus, be good additions to the value offered by the service to travelers.
The verdict seems to be that the Indian customer prefers traveling by bus because the flexibility offered in terms of tickets is very close to the date of the journey, and a range of options to suit different requirements and budgets. In another survey by a global travel search engine, Skyscanner, of over 8000 travelers across 10 Asia Pacific (APAC) countries, including over 1100 Indian respondents, the survey deep dives into travelers’ travel content preferences and habits.
