Golden ticket: Most Indians now travel for one-off experiences

A majority of indians no longer book their holidays based on the most economical flights or hotels available. Instead, they prefer to focus on experiences. According to a new study by Klook, a travel activities and services booking platform, 52 percent of Indian travellers booked their holiday destinations and dates around seasonal activities and one-off events, such as concerts, sporting events, watching the Northern Lights or celebrating a particular festival.

Klook’s 2018 survey was conducted among 2,400 respondents who had travelled abroad in the past 12 months. They were from 12 markets, including India, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the UK and the US.

In comparison to India, 63 percent travellers from Thailand, 58 percent from Malaysia and 50 percent from Singapore said they planned their travel around time-sensitive activities or one-time events, including a music festival in the US, a concert in Macau, a special art exhibition in Singapore, or sakura season in Japan.

Other popular events included ski festivals, Halloween celebrations and Christmas markets.

According to travel platform Booking.com, 45 percent of travellers have a travel bucket list, and 82 percent of them will aim to tick off one or more items on their list this year. Top travel activities include experiencing a unique cultural event, learning a new skill, and trying out local delicacies.