Long weekend travel fast becoming a trend: Survey

Mumbai, Dec 6: Travelling is no longer restricted to a once-a-year activity as more and more people are preferring long weekends to break the monotony of their usual schedules, according to a survey.

Long weekend seems to be triggering travel plans, with more than half the respondents having travelled thrice or more on long weekends during the last one year, according to a MakeMyTrip 'Long Weekend Travel Trends India (2015)' survey.

The weeklong survey was conducted among 1,000 respondents via email. The survey revealed that 62 per cent of the respondents preferred hill stations during a long weekend break, followed by and beaches (54 per cent).

About 31 per cent respondents said they would prefer a historical destination for their weekend getaway, it said.

"There has been a massive shift in consumer behaviour towards travelling over the years. Travel is no longer a once-a-year syndrome. People today like to indulge in frequent trips to break the monotony of their usual 9-to-6 schedules. Working professionals especially look forward to extended weekends to socialise and indulge in fulfilling their leisure travel aspirations," MakeMyTrip Chief Business Officer - Holidays, Ranjeet Oak, said.

The survey noted that despite being a short duration travel, people start make their long weekend travel plans fairly in advance, probably to beat the rush. 30 per cent of the respondents said they plan their travel only a week in advance, it said.

Flights and trains are booked more than one month in advance, mostly due to cheaper rates and limited seats. However, bus and cab bookings are deferred to the last moment or done on the spot, the survey said.

More than 30 per cent respondents prefer to drive down in their own cars to the destination, it added. The survey also found that 44 per cent respondents take long weekend breaks lasting for four or more days, taking extra days off from work mainly with family and friends.

However, 9 per cent of the respondents prefer to travel solo on long weekends. About 62 per cent of long weekend travellers aged 25-39 years chose Goa as the most preferred destination for a short holiday, it found.

Goa is followed by Jaipur in Rajasthan (21 per cent) and Agra in Uttar Pradesh (17 per cent) as the most popular destinations, the survey added.

PTI