JOIN USOnly 19% will go on festive travel this year: Survey
Despite the unlock push, travel and tourism show no sign of a speedy revival. A countrywide survey has now revealed that only 19% would undertake festive travel this year, and only 23% of those on travel mode will take a flight. Conducted by community social media platform LocalCircles, the findings were based on over 25,000 responses from 239 districts across the country.
The question asked was straightforward: Have they planned any travel during the festive season between October and December 2020?
A high 69 per cent of the respondents were certain that they would not step out of their homes. Only a marginal three per cent said they would head to a holiday destination.
Thirteen per cent of the respondents said they would visit family and friends, and 12% were unsure about what they would do. “This means that only 19% citizens say they will travel in the upcoming festive season between Oct-Dec 2020,” LocalCircles founder Sachin Taparia told DH. Fear of Covid-19 was an obvious factor. He elaborated: “Many people have either been confined to their homes or have been working from home for the past six months and are desperate to get out and travel. But the fear of contracting the virus is holding them back.”
Annual trends have always shown August and September as peak travel booking months.
Mode of travel
Durga puja, Dasara, Deepavali, and Chhath festival all typically fall during October-November. People in many parts of India plan their travel back home or vacations during this time.
This year, the pandemic and the lockdowns and unlocks that followed have dramatically altered this trend.
Of the respondents who confirmed that they would indeed travel, the overall trend was interesting: “Twenty-three per cent said their primary mode of travel will be flights, 6% said trains and 38% said they will travel by road and take a car or taxi. About 18% said they will take multiple modes in the same or different trips.”
The survey indicated that personal cars and taxis would be the most preferred mode of travel in the months.
“With most states relaxing the norms and opening their borders for tourists, people believe travelling with their family by car or taxi would be much safer than travelling by flight or train.”