- Good Friday long weekend saw a 167% increase in booking demand compared to last year
- Varanasi emerged as the top choice among pilgrimage destinations with the maximum number of bookings across India
- There was a 57% increase in booking demand for beach destinations, whereas hill stations witnessed a 43% growth in bookings
Long weekends offer an excellent opportunity to tick-off some of the destinations from your travel bucket list and give yourself the much-needed break to rejuvenate. From corporate millennials planning a staycation with friends to individuals seeking spiritual enrichment to those away from home and longing for a short visit to their home–towns, long-weekends are sacrosanct for all.
Ahead of the Good Friday long weekend starting from 7th April 2023, global travel technology company, OYO shared some interesting travel trends. As per the company, there is a 167% uptick in booking demand for the three-day long weekend as compared to last year.
As per the booking trends, spiritual and pilgrimage destinations are witnessing the highest demand, indicating a shift towards prioritizing spiritual experiences over luxury among Indian travellers. Varanasi emerged as the top choice among pilgrimage destinations, followed by Puri, Shirdi, Amritsar, and Haridwar. Alongside these cities, Tirupati, Mathura, Vrindavan, Guruvayur, and Madurai also saw a significant surge in demand for the upcoming long weekend.
The ongoing debate about hill stations versus beach destinations continues as the company recorded a remarkable 57% increase in booking demand for beach locations, while hill stations experienced a 43% rise in booking demand.
The region wise breakdown shows that Southern India received maximum bookings followed by East, North and West regions. Interestingly, business destinations such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata also received increased traction for the Good Friday long weekend.
Speaking on the increased bookings, an OYO spokesperson said, “Travel in India has witnessed a renaissance of sorts in the last one year. Travellers today will seize any opportunity they can get to explore new destinations, and long-weekends present that perfect sweet spot where people can travel without taking too many days off from work. We have continued to witness an increase in travel demand for long-weekends over the last one year and the Good Friday long-weekend this year is no exception. We are happy see the shift in demand towards more spiritual and pilgrimage destinations, which have been a significant contributor to our growth. With our in-app features like features ‘Pay at Hotel’, easy cancellation and refund policies, and 3-click booking process, people can continue to plan their vacations hassle-free.”
To enhance customer experiences on its platform, OYO has recently launched its latest feature Super OYO to help users discover highly rated OYOs. This is an exclusive program with only 200 hotels currently tagged as ‘Super OYOs’ across 73 cities. To make customer journeys smoother, the company has also launched several tags and highlights such as Trip Type, Long Stays, Check-in Ratings, among others. Check-in ratings offers consumers greater transparency so that they can make informed choices while booking hotels. Further, OYO’s loyalty program ‘Wizard Plus’ offers free room nights after every 5 stays.
