International data and analytics group YouGov has reported, in a recent study, that married people in India travel more than singles, with 39% of them taking a vacation at least once a year. Single people mostly travel less than once a year with a limited budget – but the study also reveals that around a third of Indians take a vacation every year.

Customarily, Indians marry anywhere between early twenties to early thirties. Of what is being seen as a common trend thanks to the rise of social media and higher disposable incomes, young married couples travelling for leisure is on the rise.

According to the survey, a quarter (25%) of the respondents prefer adventurous holidays, followed by spiritual trips, romantic breaks and wildlife safaris.The mountain versus beach dispute is finally settled with 64% of the respondents saying they prefer hills and mountains over beaches. 

Indians tend to be planned travellers with 80% preferring some kind of plan or itinerary though 40% like some flexibility in the schedule. 63% like to plan their holidays themselves with only 9% preferring the planned tours from global tour operators.

Once there, Indians tend to be active travellers with 79% seeking to explore all that the destination offers and only 20% wanting to use the holiday to relax or chill out.

Men travel more than women in a year with 28% of them travelling twice a year. While men like to go with a planned itinerary, women like having one too but are willing to explore the place outside the schedule.

Money is an important factor in deciding the location and length of the stay. Most Indians prefer budget holidays within INR 50,000 (USD 850), especially the singles, lasting up to a week.

A sizeable number of married people in this group chose popular tourist destinations over offbeat ones, but 42% singles prefer going for unconventional picks over the usual ones.

Influences driving travel decisions

Close to two-third vacationers are driven by famous sites and history when selecting where to travel next.

Indians love entertainment and there is no surprise that 41% believe the influence of films and TV and social media inspires them to go on a holiday. Countries welcoming Bollywood with open arms has been the norm for quite some years now.

Europe is by far the most popular holiday destination and preferred continent, closely followed by Asia. One in six Indian travellers voted Switzerland as their ultimate favourite European travel destination, followed by France (42%). However, one-third women travellers fancy a vacation in Italy.

After India, Singapore (46%) is a clear favourite Asian destination for travellers. Malaysia is also a popular choice with 31% holiday lovers wanting to visit the country.

When it comes to the most preferred countries for holiday in North America, US and Canada are the preferred choices. Although only 2% of travellers want to visit Oceania, most of these would love to visit Australia.

Data collected online by YouGov Omnibus among 1,000 respondents in India in July, 2018 using YouGov’s panel of over 6 million people worldwide. Data is broadly representative of the adult online population in the country.