· Dussehra holiday survey reveals new drivers for travel
· 33% young Indians travel to beat relationship and distance gaps and meet their loved ones
19th October 2016, New Delhi: According to a recent survey by OYO, Indians no longer look for a special occasion or holiday to travel. Administered to OYO's select customer-base, the survey received responses from over 800 customers in 180 cities, making this truly representative of emerging India's travel aspirations.
83% of respondents revealed that they do not worry about the distance of the travel destination. This suggests that logistics are no longer seen as a barrier and travellers now just like to go with the flow. The survey coincided with Dussehra holidays and was anchored to the theme of employing travel to defeat modern-day evils, providing a deeper insight as to why people travel.
Sharing more on the insights Kavikrut, Chief Growth Officer, OYO, said, “Listening to our guests and engaging with them are critical components of our customer-feedback management process.This has helped us design market-first offerings such as Sunrise check-in from 6 AM, and enabling Relationship Mode on app. This survey has helped us identify key travel drivers for different customer-sets and their needs. For example, we inferred that people prefer to travel to Kerala and Manali to combat evils of stress, traffic and pollution. Also, without exception all groups surveyed have displayed an overwhelming preference for natural and serene retreats - highlighting that we travel to escape our hyper-connected existence."
Apart from 7% travel to pilgrimage destinations, several people love leisure travel through a convenient transportation option to break away from the monotony of urban life. A third of the respondents wanted to go to spend their next vacation on a hill-station but Goa was the most popular travel destination - 25% respondents had it on the top of their wish list.
The online survey conducted with 800 people also revealed that Indians are now getting used to overcome monotony in their life through short trips using convenient transport options. Couples were most likely to travel on special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries.
Respondents replied from destinations as varied and diverse as Asansol, Bhatinda, Haflong, Imphal, Hoshiarpur, Palakkad, Ranchi, Sambalpur, Sahranpur and Warangal - establishing the pan-India reach and engagement of OYO, India's largest hotel brand.
About OYO
Founded in 2013, OYO is today India’s largest branded network of hotels operating 6,500 hotels and 70,000 rooms in more than 200 Indian cities. These include major metros, regional hubs, top leisure destinations as well as pilgrimage towns. OYO is also present in Malaysia. The company’s mission is to become the world’s most preferred and trusted hotel brand. OYO pioneered the industry-wide standardization of stay experience in India by providing AC rooms equipped with flat-screen TV, complimentary breakfast, free Wi-Fi and 24/7 support across its network. Travellers can book a room in three taps using the OYO app. Besides booking a room, the OYO app can be used to call a cab and locate nearby restaurants. To deliver a seamless, standardized experience to guests, OYO partners with IRCTC, Airtel, Samsung, Lenovo, Biotique, Cleartrip, Itzcash, FreeCharge, Mobikwik and Grofers.
Committed to delivering innovative offerings to travellers, OYO recently introduced ‘Sunrise Check-in’ – a global-first initiative at this scale. With this, guests can avail assured early check-in instead of the standard noon check-in – a universal pain point impacting travel plans. OYO has also introduced a ‘relationship mode’ in its app enabling guests to discover couple-friendly OYO hotels.
OYO has received awards including Express IT Start-Up of the Year award (2015) and was recognized by Business Today as among the Coolest Start-Up in India (2016). It was also ranked by LinkedIn as one of the top employee attractors in India. OYO is backed by leading global investors, including the SoftBank Group, Greenoaks Capital, Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed India. For more information, log on to:https://www.oyorooms.com/