look news india
There was a time when Indian families used to plan their outings 3 to 4 months in advance. Waiting for approval of long leave applications, booking train tickets months in advance and a tight day-to-day schedule – this used to be the way of traditional tourism. But now the country’s urban youth, Millennials and Gen-Z generation have completely changed this old pattern.
According to travel industry reports, now the trend of ‘just go out for a walk’ i.e. spontaneous travel is becoming increasingly dominant among Indians. Closing the laptop on Friday afternoon, suddenly booking a cab or bus to a nearby hill station, heritage town or a quiet resort and returning to work refreshed on Monday morning – this new lifestyle has become a part of the daily routine of millions of working youth.
According to tourism experts and sociologists, there are many social and technical reasons behind this changing mood of Indians:
-
1. Need for work-life balance and mental detox:
People can no longer wait to take a long vacation once a year to avoid the burnout caused by the corporate hustle and bustle, 9 to 9 shifts, and constant sitting in front of screens. They need 2 days of mental detox every 3-4 weeks.
-
2. Trend of hybrid work and ‘workcation’:
Remote and hybrid working models have given new freedom to the way of traveling. It has now become very easy to ‘work from home’ on Friday or Monday, sit in the mountains or on the beach and enjoy the holidays along with work.
-
3. Expressway Network and Last-Minute Booking Apps:
New expressways and semi-high speed trains (like Vande Bharat) built across the country have covered the distance of 300 to 500 kilometers in 4 to 6 hours. Additionally, ‘last-minute discounts’ on hotel and bus booking apps allow the entire trip to be arranged in half an hour, even without any prior preparation.
-
4. Rise of backpacker hostels and solo travel:
Budget backpacker hostels like Zostel, The Hosteller have provided a safe, affordable and social environment to youth traveling alone. Now the condition of coming with friends or family is gone; When I felt like it, I picked up my bag and set out.
Highest demand in this new culture ‘Micro-Holidays’ Which ranges from 36 to 48 hours:
-
From Delhi-NCR: Places like Rishikesh, Neemrana, Kasauli, Lansdowne and Bharatpur have become hotspots from Friday night to Sunday evening.
-
From Mumbai-Pune: People move to Lonavala, Alibaug, Igatpuri and Mahabaleshwar just by looking at the weather without any advance planning.
-
From Bengaluru-Hyderabad: Coorg, Chikmagalur, Wayanad and Hampi have become favorite destinations for weekend drivers.
Tourism industry experts believe that the thinking of Indians has now moved from ‘saving money for the future’ to ‘living life in the present and gathering experiences’. This is the reason why now, without waiting for the red colored government holidays in the calendar, people are coming out on the streets with just a mood and a backpack.