Kerala emerges as the most preferred monsoon travel destination: Thomas Cook and SOTC Travel report
As per a report by Thomas Cook and SOTC Travel, Kerala emerged as a favourite due to its hill retreats of Munnar and Vagamon, pristine backwaters of Kumarakom, forests of Thekkady and the Silent Valley.
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Indian consumers are displaying sustained interest in travel post the traditional peak summer season. With the onset of the monsoons, ushering in pleasant weather and nature at its best, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, India’s omnichannel travel services company and its Group Company, SOTC Travel’s reports an increase in demand for monsoon travel - with a growth of 25 percent compared to last year.
Monsoon being a traditional low travel season, demand vs supply works well to the consumer’s advantage: with special deals/discounts offered by airlines and hotels creating strong inspiration for “travel savers”.
With the rains transforming arid landscapes into lush green locales, rivulets, and waterfalls, the Companies’ trends reveal a growing interest in nature-forward experiences, such as nature trails and photography tours to Uttarakhand’s Valley of Flowers, Maharashtra’s Khaas-Pathar Valley. Kerala has emerged a favourite with its hill retreats of Munnar and Vagamon, pristine backwaters of Kumarakom, forests of Thekkady and the Silent Valley.
Outdoor experiences like trekking and hiking in Tawang’s forests & lakes (Arunachal Pradesh), the magical root bridges in Meghalaya’s Cherrapunjee, the thermal Tiger Spring of Mahabaleshwar, Jog Falls in Karnataka are also seeing demand.
The season is seeing uptick in unique stays in tea/coffee plantations in places such as Ooty, Coorg and Coonoor and Yercaud.
Domestic and short haul demand saw uptick of 22 percent and 25 percent respectively, especially with popular destinations such as Kashmir, Leh-Ladakh, Andamans, Kerala, Rajasthan, Goa, Karnataka, North East followed by Indian subcontinent Sri Lanka and Bhutan.
There was a demand also seen for spiritual tours such as Jyotirlinga. Varanasi, Mahakaleshwar, Omkareshwara, Dwarka, Somnath, Mallikarjuna, Rameswaram; Ramayan Trail in Sri Lanka
The demand from working professionals was 20 percent, from young Indian’s millennials and GenZ stood at 25 percent and from multigenerational families, it was at 18 percent.
The average holiday duration was for three to five days, especially for shorter stays/mini-cations.
Rajeev Kale, president and country head - leisure travel, MICE, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd, said, "Monsoon travel is seeing growing popularity from Indians. We are witnessing a 25% increase in demand for this monsoon season compared to last year. Short driveable holidays; weekend & extended weekend getaways are witnessing an uptick from young professionals/millennials & GenZ, couples, families. Our customers are showcasing interest in offbeat & adventure experiences like bike trips, hiking, rafting, waterfall rappelling/trekking. To cater to this demand we have curated a diverse portfolio of over 150 monsoon holidays designed to inspire travel hungry Indians.”
Daniel D’souza, president and country head, Leisure, SOTC Travel added, "The monsoon season offers travellers a unique opportunity to explore India’s greener locales, cooler and serene wellness retreats. With our rich heritage of 75 years, we firmly believe that no one understands the Indian traveller better than SOTC. India travellers are maximizing their holidays with off-season rates and incredible monsoon discounts to unique monsoon destinations like Ooty, Coorg, Wayanad, Coonoor and Munnar, Western Ghats. Our Monsoon Holidays are curated for customers who want to experience India’s untapped beauty amidst the rains."
