International demand for air travel has picked up substantially as restrictions across countries ease. Travellers who averaged 6 return trips pre-pandemic (2019), are beginning to return to the skies, with an average of 3 self-predicted return trips planned for 2022, found a new study commissioned by Collinson, a global leader in traveller experiences.

The research, which seeks to understand the latest trends and travel habits driving Asia Pacific customers, surveyed almost 5,400 frequent travellers across seven major markets – Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. India saw the largest number of respondents to the research out of all the markets included, with 1,063 participants (20%).

With summer in the northern hemisphere ushering in what has generally been believed to be the “peak travel season”, one can expect to see a rise in travel around the region as people start planning their much-awaited vacations. Although the majority of these trips are expected to be domestic leisure trips, 55% of respondents have expressed an interest in travelling outside of their home market for at least one trip.

Looking at India specifically, the market appears to be ahead of the curve, with Indian airports witnessing a steep ramp-up in international passenger traffic. Travel reached 72% of pre-COVID levels in May this year, and is expected to reach 80-85% of pre-COVID levels by April 2023. Major destinations driving this demand are South East Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

This is significant, as it reflects how travellers are not holding back on the scale of their journey and remain eager to make up for the time and experiences lost over the last two years due to the pandemic.

Airport lounges are seen as key in curbing travel anxiety – with the Collinson research revealing that 49% of Indian travellers ‘feel safer at the airport’ when they’re able to access a lounge. On average, travellers regard lounge access as the number one most desirable travel benefit at the airport, leading to 87% of Indian travellers expecting airport lounge access as a premium card benefit. 55% of Indian respondents said they felt ‘rewarded’, while a further 52% of Indian respondents said lounge access made them ‘feel valued as a customer’.

Todd Handcock, Asia Pacific President for Collinson said, “After two long years of waiting for the pandemic to recede and borders to open up, people across India are eagerly embracing the return of travel. This is an encouraging trend given that apprehensions around travel safety continue to exist. Recognising the value travellers place on lounge, we’re extremely pleased to support Indian travellers’ return to the skies through the launch of Priority PassTM Access India.”