57 Percent Indians Have Planned their Next Vacation for Early 2021

ZestMoney, India&rsquos leading AI-driven EMI financing and &ldquoBuy Now Pay Later&rdquo (&ldquoPay Later&rdquo) platform, recently released the findings from a customer survey conducted to understand how Indians are shaping their travel plans for the coming year. The survey was conducted with a sample of 4,600 respondents across key metros and Tier II/III cities in India.

It revealed that while over 75 percent respondents did not take a vacation in the last three months, over 57 percent are planning their next leisure travel in early 2021.

Interestingly, an increasing number of people want to opt for domestic travel. Within India, Goa (53.1 percent), followed by Kerala (32.9 percent) and Shimla (31.4 percent) ranked high on the travel bucket-list. Ladakh, Kashmir, Jaipur, Agra and Mysore were the other popular destinations.

With the pandemic taking a hit on finances, travellers have slashed their discretionary spends, including those on leisure activities. Over 44 percent believed that their holiday and travel budgets have been impacted.

Interestingly, Pay Later solutions are becoming popular as a financing option, with 55 percent respondents saying they would opt for EMIs or Buy Now, Pay Later option to fund their next personal trip.

The survey also revealed that over 45 percent respondents would prefer local&nbsptravel destinations and staycations over international travel in 2021 while around 60 percent preferred interstate travel over travelling withing the state or internationally. Approximately 42 percent respondents said that they would prefer travelling by their personal car, over flights or trains. As many as 60 percent noted that they would opt for a hotel over a homestay while picking an accommodation for their next trip. Safety and hygiene ranked as a top criterion (approximately 74 percent) while selecting a travel destination.