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The favourite summer destination for Indians is...

April 27, 2018 11:00 IST

Europe still a favourite among Indians for summer, says survey.

Travel

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

With temperatures soaring in the country, Europe continued to be the hot favourite destination among Indians this summer, however, there is a preference for shorter holidays, according to a survey by travel company Cox and Kings.

Overall, the demand for summer holidays has increased by around 20 per cent compared to the same period last year, the survey said.

'This summer, there is a subtle shift in travel pattern.

'We have observed that those opting for a two-country or three-country holiday, which translates to a seven-night or an eight-night holiday have risen by almost 50 per cent compared to the same period last year,' the survey said.

The main reason for this is that now Indians are taking more than one holiday in a year and they would like to space out their vacations, it added.

The survey is based on actual bookings on Cox and Kings for this summer.

France and Switzerland are the two hot-selling European destinations this summer, with some people combining these two with one more country like Austria, Italy, Netherlands or Germany, it added.

Destinations such as Iceland, Ukraine, Greece and Croatia are popular with individual travellers.

People from western India such as Gujarat and Maharashtra are mostly heading for cooler beach destinations overseas like Mauritius, Reunion Islands and Seychelles.

The demand for these destinations from these two state have gone up by 15 per cent compared to the same period last year, it added.

'Travel trends have become extremely volatile nowadays because travellers are always in pursuit of new destinations.

'While the demand for Europe during summer season continues this year as well, lately island hideaways such as Mauritius, Reunion Island and Seychelles are also catching the attention of summer travellers from India.

'Improved air connectivity and simplified visa processes have fuelled the interest even further for the Indian Ocean Islands,' Cox and Kings head, relationships, Karan Anand said.

Another reason why Indian travellers are finding these islands attractive is 'ease in visa processes', he said.

'Both Mauritius and Seychelles offers visa on arrival to Indian travellers.

'While for Reunion Island, Indian nationals no longer need a visa for stays of up to 15 days,' he added.

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