OYO Hotels & Homes predicts ‘India’s Next Destinations’, a data-backed predictive analysis that brings to light the country’s upcoming leisure destinations for travellers. According to OYO’s forecast, Jaipur, followed by Goa and Kochi are set to become India’s top leisure destinations in October, November and December 2020.

With the 2 October long weekend on the horizon, the report reveals that travellers are opting for staycations across India’s beach destinations – with Goa topping the list, followed by the seaside resort town of Digha in West Bengal. Travellers are also opting for Jaipur, Pondicherry, Agra, Tirupati, among others.

Interestingly, the report reveals that Indians will turn to faith during these tough times. The trend forecasts an upswing in demand for the alluring, holy cities of India, including Varanasi, Shirdi and Haridwar.

The data predicts that most leisure destinations to rule the roost in the latter half of the year are within a driving distance from mainstream cities, such as Jaipur and Udaipur for Delhiites, Goa and Shirdi for Mumbaikars, Mysore for Bangaloreans, among others.

Given the reality around COVID-19, leisure travel took a backseat to business or essential travel in the past couple of months, leaving little room for recovery of predominantly tourist destinations. However, on the brighter side, with each unlocking phase and the reopening of states, there’s a positive upswing for consumers aspiring to travel in the next three months.

As per OYO’s consumer use cases, 56% of consumers will be travelling for leisure while 43% would travel for business. When asked about their next travel destination, most respondents opted for Kerala, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan. Amongst these, 45% of leisure travelers would prefer hill stations like Shimla, Mussoorie while the remaining 55% of leisure travelers would prefer non-hill station destinations like Goa, Agra, and Jaipur. The data further highlights that 56% of consumers would travel via private vehicles to nearby locations, with family or friends, preferably between the duration of 1-3 days.

Rohit Kapoor, CEO of India and South Asia in OYO said: “After spending months under lockdown and restrictions easing across the country, consumers are looking forward to stepping out and exploring new destinations, closer to home, and of course with utmost precautions. While intentions to travel are strengthening, our teams at OYO are working round the clock to also strengthen our offerings, and our value to the consumer.”

With the country’s intent to travel strengthening, OYO’s consumer use cases showcase that approximately 80% of consumers planning to travel are searching for sanitised stays, while 46% seek regulation-related information during their decision-making process. Keeping this in mind, OYO has launched a one-stop solution for all travel-related assistance on the OYO app in India, including COVID-19 testing with leading ICMR approved pathology labs, visibility to state-wise guidelines, among others. This includes partnerships with Dr. Lal Path Labs, SRL Diagnostics, 1mg and Indus Health Plus.