Summers in most parts of India are excruciatingly unbearable, with mercury in some places shooting over 50 degree Celsius. Schools declare long summer holidays and many people pack their bags to travel to cooler places with several opting for overseas trips.
For Indian travellers, the top three summer holiday destinations in 2024 are Amsterdam, Singapore and London, according to Mastercard Economics Institute’s “travel trends 2024: breaking boundaries” report.
Where most Indians are travelling in Summer of 2024?
Among the top 10 international destinations chosen by most Indians to travel to this summer three are in Australia, while two are in Germany.
Following is the list of international cities which are trending destinations for June-August this year where demand of Indian travellers is gaining momentum. The report said these are as measured by the change in share of flight bookings.
1 - Amsterdam, Netherlands
2 - Singapore, Singapore
3 - London, United Kingdom
4 - Frankfurt, Germany
5 - Melbourne, Australia
6 - Bali, Indonesia
7 - Montreal, Canada
8 - Sydney, Australia
9 - Brisbane, Australia
10 - Munich, Germany
Why are more Indians exploring international destinations for vacation?
The report said, “a growing middle class and expanded route capacity” have seen more Indians travelling to different countries for holidays.
The first three months of calendar year 2024 (January, February and March) saw 9.7 crore air travellers. “Just 10 years ago, the same figure would have taken a whole year to achieve," the report said.
The US dollar gaining strength over the Indian rupee is making international trips more expensive for travellers from India, but their hopes have not dampened.
“This trend signifies a major shift in Indian travel habits towards widespread exploration and discovery," it said.
The report also said airports in India saw 9.7 crore passengers, domestic and international combined, in January-March 2024.
In March this year, domestic travel was 21 per cent higher, while international travel was 4 per cent more than the same month in pre-pandemic 2019, the report said.
“Indian travelers are increasingly exploring key markets, with a 53 per cent, 248 per cent and 59 per cent surge in visits to Japan, Vietnam, the US, respectively, compared to 2019," it further said.
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