“Gen Z travellers (aged 13-27) are redefining luxurious journey with a transparent desire for worldwide locations that provide an ideal mix of leisure and journey. They will not be simply on the lookout for a fast getaway — they’re investing in well-curated, memorable experiences, with a mean deal dimension of ₹2 lakh,” mentioned Hari Ganapathy, co-founder, Pickyourtrail, a journey startup headquartered in Chennai. “They are additionally decisive planners, sometimes finalising their bookings round 42 days earlier than departure and embarking on their adventures inside 58 days,” he added.
Santhosh Kanna S., senior vice chairman at Thomas Cook India Limited, identified that demand has been robust from the Tamil Nadu marketplace for the journey interval April-June. “Summers stays a favorite time to journey for not solely households but in addition millennials, younger professionals, Gen Z, and solo vacationers,” he added. According to Mr. Kanna, simple visa and visa-free entry has been a game-changer, particularly for locations like Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Malaysia, Thailand, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, offering better comfort and suppleness for last-minute plans.
Swaminathan Subramanian, co-founder of Exoticamp Adventures, additionally identified {that a} defining development this yr is the rise of Gen Z travellers — they usually’re not holding again. Armed with EMI choices, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) providers like Simpl, LazyPay, and ZestMoney, this cohort is comfortably reserving each home and worldwide journeys, he added. He defined that the summer season traveler demographic is a various combine this yr. “The two dominant teams are: younger households searching for college trip getaways and younger professionals aged 22-30 leveraging the string of lengthy weekends,” Mr. Subramanian mentioned.
Spiritual and journey tourism
Rakesh Bawa, senior vice chairman and head (holidays), SOTC Travel Limited, mentioned that Tamil Nadu’s millennials and Gen Z, have been drawn to religious tourism coupled with leisure and journey experiences comparable to white-water rafting, river rappelling, kayaking, and evening treks, amongst others.
For Thomas Cook, escorted group excursions are witnessing brisk demand, and prime worldwide favourites embrace Switzerland, France, Italy, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and new locations like Azerbaijan, Georgia, Sabah (Malaysia), Bintan.
Tourist favourites
“Kashmir is drawing particular consideration this yr with the Tulip Festival on and the latest opening of recent prepare stations, making the area extra accessible than ever. Down south, the staples — Kodai, Ooty, and Munnar — proceed to be common, particularly amongst households from Tamil Nadu and Kerala on the lookout for fast, scenic getaways,” mentioned Mr. Subramanian.
Sharing his views on location developments of Gen Z, Mr. Ganapathy mentioned: “Topping their record is the Maldives, reflecting their love for serene, tropical escapes. Bali follows carefully, reaffirming their inclination towards picturesque island getaways. However, it’s not simply seashores that appeal to Gen Z — Dubai and Singapore, with their vibrant cityscapes and dynamic experiences, present that this era additionally seeks pleasure past these shores.”
Published – March 31, 2025 01:06 pm IST
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