There has been a rise in the use of credit and debit cards following the demonetisation initiative, with 37.4 per cent Indian travellers choosing plastic money over cash for bookings and other travel-related expenditure, a survey has said.
“The ban on old Rs.500 and Rs. 1,000 notes has further led to a significant 57.9 per cent oftravellers booking on desktop computers, and a drastic dip in booking through offline agents,”the Winter Survey by Yatra.com has shown.
With demonetisation, the trend of cashless transactions in travel will go up, and this will have significant medium to long-term positives for online travel agents, Yatra.com COO,(B2C), Sharat Dhall said.
The Winter Survey is done by Yatra.com annually from data taken from the actual bookings done on the portal. Another key observation was that people are preferring to choose budget accommodation over luxury accommodation. Over 38 per cent people opted for lodging options under Rs. 4,000, while only 35 per cent chose luxury accommodation, it added.
It said the advance booking continues with most people looking at finalising their plans 15 days to one month in advance. Further, it said, demonetisation does not seem to have impacted the spending capacity of travellers, with over 60 per cent willing to spend between Rs.10,000 and Rs.25,000.
The survey also found a substantial drop in international travel, with over 74 per cent respondents willing to travel to domestic destinations. While the deserts and Goahave been highlighted as top choices amongst domestic destinations, Thailand and other islands top the list of most favoured international destinations.
“Our Winter Survey shows that mobile bookings and the preference for budget accommodation are two areas where we are seeing a tremendous surge. Contrary to the usual preference of international destinations, we have seen a number of travellers opting for domestic destinations this winter,” Mr. Dhall said.
Contrary to last year’s Winter Survey, the findings this year reveal that spouses/ partners werethe more obvious choice as travel companions, followed by family, friends and solo travel.
