Chennai: The preference for luxury accommodation for nearly 56 per cent travellers has been adversely affected owing to the Goods and Services Tax (GST), though about 48 per cent people were willing to spend over '50,000 per person on travel, as per a latest survey.
On the impact of the GST, the survey revealed that a significant number of 56 % respondents said that their preference for luxury travel has been adversely affected. One of the key observations of the Yatra.com’s monsoon survey was that a whopping number – 43.5 per cent respondents are willing to spend '2.500 – '5,000 on accommodation per night, while a majority of the respondents are looking to travel for one to four days. “About 45.9 per cent of the people are planning their vacation for almost 15 days. This indicates that monsoon travel has gradually become a popular travel season,” the survey said.
Due to the frequent airline flash sales, more than 37 per cent respondents booked their tickets atleast one to three months in advance. Monsoon also seems to be the family bonding time with over 76 per cent respondents looking to go for family vacation. Almost 73 per cent people are seeking unique experiences in India over holidaying at international destinations. While Goa and Munnar contine to be the prominent choice, north eastern destinations have emerged amongst the top choices for travellers this monsoon.
“Individuals, these days, are taking more frequent vacations to unwind from their daily routine. It is very encouraging to see that once what was labeled as an off season is now becoming a popular travel period especially due to the upcoming long weekends,” says Sharat Dhall, COO (B2C), Yatra.com. Commenting on the findings from the survey he said, “we have seen an increased demand for newer destinations this monsoon with places like Kerala and Andaman and Nicobar Islands making it to our top five domestic destinations. While luxury travel has experienced a hit due to GST, we expect things to be back to normal soon.”
With the implication of GST, the preferable budget for monsoon remains '10,000 – '25,000 for over 30 per cent of the travellers. As 28 per cent is being levied on luxury hotels, 43.5 per cent travellers are wiling to spend between '2,500 – Rs 5,000. Post GST announcement, 3 – 4 star hotels are preferred by over 30 per cent travellers.
