Now, travel goes Local with planned weekend getaways

Trapped in a boring weekend routine, did you fancy an out-of-the-box getaway not too far from the city? Why not a travel portal that lets you discover and book a camping site or a trekking spot that is just a drive away?

Online travel services provider ClearTrip did exactly that last June with ‘Local’. Today, the experiential service platform has expanded to 30 cities nationwide, its growth surging particularly in Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune and Goa.

City-wise behaviour studies by Local indicate Bengaluru as the top location for weekend activities, followed by Mumbai and Delhi. Tier 2 and 3 cities too are following the same trend, as the popularity of such platforms indicates.

Accessible through the existing ClearTrip mobile app, Local currently offers services under three categories, Activities, Eat-Out and Events. Theme parks, daytime and overnight stays, go-karting, bowling and gaming sites besides treks and camps are part of the activities.

The app users could toggle between the Travel and Local tabs. The Local doubles up as a restaurant list under the Eat-Out category with a range of buffets, menus where the users could pre-buy lunch, dinner and more.

But the fastest growing category for Local has been Events. “There is a 200% growth in quarter-to-quarter booking. A wide range of events are covered, including stand-up comedy, music gigs, workshops. Ours is a partnership model that includes ticketing and distribution,” said Suman De, product head, ClearTrip Local and Mobile.

ClearTrip has seen a 25%-30% year-on-year growth. So, where is the rationale for the thrust for Local? Suman explained, “Travel is a very need-based product. People don't generally go on holidays two to three times a year. It is not a high-frequency business, but Local is.”

The idea was clear: To cash in on the rising trend of users keen to travel short distances. This is a daily trend, peaking on weekends. ClearTrip, according to Suman, intends to channelise almost 50% of its existing customers to the Local platform.