Meet the new-age traveller

The young and restless aren’t happy exploring the locales that have traditonally been a part of travel brochures. They crave to visit places that have still not been captured in too many frames. And with many options avaliable to indulge their fancies, the travel sector is seeing a boost like never before. But since the travellers don’t want to see the places that are considered ‘touristy’ travel companies have had to push the enevelope. Here’s what the changing the tide in the travel sector.

Finding new places: With the advent of internet and many travel channels, new destinations have found many takers. Says Nishita Shah, who organises personalised tours, “Around 10 years ago, I didn’t have many people coming to me inquiring about places like Fiji or even Istanbul, but that’s changed now. Istanbul is very much in demand these days. People now want to explore and see places where the culture is very different from their own.”

Better budgets due to better income: With sights sets on exotic locales, it’s only natural that the budgets for their trips see an upward hike. But the new generation is okay with spending more on their dream destination. Nishata Shah, who went on a Europe trip with her buddies, says, “Today, the spending capacity of a traveller is higher than before hence we can dream of going to far off places.”

Smaller families or Travelling solo: The option of travelling solo has opened is a huge bonus for those who are keen to explore places that not many people will agree to see. Also, smaller families have led to a bigger kitty where travel is concerned. Says Jai Pathak, a banker, “We always take one vacation out of the country. We save up for that, but the fact that we have just two kids does help to maintain the budget of the trip.”

Growth in international travel: Most travellers rejoice about the options avaliable to them on the international circuit. Many airlines offer discounts if you club your airticket along with your stay. Flying to destinations like Hong Kong and Singapore has become frequent for those who love taking brief breaks, but don’t want to end up holidaying in places near Mumbai. The visa-on-arrival option sure is great help for those who plan impromptu trips.

Opting for personalised/self-created itineraries: The internet is where all the information that you need is avaliable with a few clicks. Says Sayli Pandit, a teacher, “My husband and I always check out blogs before we plan our itinerary. You get information right from the ticket price to information about entry fee at monuments. It also brings the cost down.”

Growth of adventure tourism: Today, there are all sorts of adventure sports that people can indulge in while travelling. For example, Hrishikesh offers white-water rafting, while every place from Mumbai to Manali offers parasailing, Goa and other beachs resorts have parasailing, Auli is where you can head to if you want to try skiing, and waterfall rappelling can be attempted within Maharashtra itself. The lure of these adventure sports do not only entice Indians, but also those who travel from other countries.

Bollywood’s influence: Jaiesh Shah, a Bandra-based tour operator, says that Bollywood has a lot to do when it comes to people deciding on checking out a destination. He says, “Post 3-Idiots we got a lot of inquiries for Ladakh, while post Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara people wanted to know about Spain. We got a lot of calls from people who wanted to time their visits according to the Tomatina Festival.” Tour operators say that after Jab Tak Hai Jaan released there was a surge in people wanting to visit Kashmir, where a huge chunk of the movie was shot.