We Indians love our beach vacations and are among the top among travellers from other countries when it comes to getting “beach ready” — be it getting our hair done, getting a tan or a workout, says a latest travel survey.
Preference and behaviour
Expedia, a global online travel company, has come out with the results of the 2016 Flip Flop Report, an analysis of behaviour and preferences among beachgoers in Asia Pacific, North America, Europe and South America.
The survey highlights findings regarding Indians’ preference and behaviour towards beach holidays.
According to the survey, Indians lead globally in getting their hair done (40%), getting a tan (30%) and going for spa treatments (43%) before going on a beach vacation.
Online survey
Indians rank second when it comes to using the Internet at the beach to stay connected to work or check work-related e-mails (24%) and third when it comes to posting their pictures on social media platforms while on vacation itself (39%). However, only seven per cent of Indian said they love posting photos of themselves in swimwear on social media sites.
The online survey was conducted from April 6 to April 21among 11,155 adults aged 18 years and above across 24 countries.
For many Indian respondents, it is very important that the hotel or resort they are staying in is family-friendly or child-friendly.
Accommodation
If they took a beach vacation in the next one year, Indians would most likely stay at a family-friendly resort (32%) or an eco-friendly resort (16%). Indians (13%) are also almost twice as likely as other beachgoers (7%) to choose a five-star resort.
“Just their global counterparts, Indians rank cleanliness of beaches (73%) and safety of beaches (68%) as the most important while choosing a beach vacation. They place more importance than beachgoers from other countries on a great nightlife (39%) and social media visibility (31%) when choosing a destination,” said Manmeet Ahluwalia, marketing head, Expedia, India.
Beach vacations for Indians, however, are not just about relaxing.
“Indians (24%) rank second after Thai citizens (25%) in saying that they will use the wi-fi connection at the beach to stay connected to work/ check work-related e-mails,” he added.
Indians also love to read books or magazines on a mobile device (25%) while on a beach vacation, while others prefer playing video games on mobile devices (25%).
While a large number of Indians zero down on a beach destination after what they see on social media platforms, they are also quite ahead of other countries when it comes to sharing what they are currently doing on social media (39%).
Biggest irritants
In contrast, only six per cent people from Japan, Germany and France feel the same.
The biggest irritants on a beach vacation for Indians are oglers.
