Dubai, the UK and Singapore have been identified as the most “vegetarian-friendly” destinations for Indian travellers.

In a survey, Cox & Kings Survey found that these three popular outbound destinations are becoming the “top choices for Indian vegetarian travellers” due to their large Indian populations and rising number of vegetarian and Indian restaurants.

Other destinations preferred by Indian vegetarians were the US, Switzerland, Malaysia, Israel, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand.

The survey also revealed that food is the most important factor Indian vegetarians consider when finalising a holiday. A whopping 70% of this market segment said they choose their destination based on the availability of vegetarian food.

The assurance of a vegetarian meal also dictates what type of accommodation is chosen. Fifty-three percent of the vegetarian travellers select hotels with vegetarian restaurants, whereas only 20% will be content with a multi-cuisine restaurant.

In addition, on a shorter trip (less than five days), 77% of the vegetarian travellers would take their own food, such as instant noodles. Those travelling for longer durations however, would require a vegetarian-friendly destination.

Karan Anand, head of relationships at Cox & Kings said that the main demand for Indian outbound vegetarian holidays was coming from the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

The survey was conducted from January to March 2017 with a sample size of 5,000 respondents.