Tier-2 cities gaining unprecedented traction, suggests KAYAK’s India Study report

Kayak’s recently released ‘KAYAK’s 2019 ‘Best Time To Book’ travel guide has given some interesting insights into the behaviour of the Indian traveller. The big finding suggests that tier-2 cities are gaining an unprecedented traction, with Varanasi topping the charts as the most searched destination. It also outlines that Bangkok and Dubai are the most favoured destinations among the Indian outbound. Here are some excerpts from the report:

Abhishek Mishra
RD, India and Middle East, KAYAK

 Best time to book flights for most domestic destinations are 2 weeks in advance and two months in advance for international destinations. Booking on Wednesday is the best day and 8:30 AM is the best time to book to enjoy the highest potential savings on flights.

KAYAK has analyzed millions of travel search data over the past two years (2017 and 2018) to create the travel guide with the best time to book flights from India to top destinations, helping travellers to get the best deal at the right time. KAYAK’s data and analysis show that if Indian travellers book at the right times for top destinations, they can save up to 47 per cent per cent on airfare.

Key highlights of KAYAK 2019 ‘Best Time to Book’ travel guide:

Best time to book

Mid-week Wednesdays are the preferred time for travellers to book flights and get the best deal. And within the day, bookings made at 8:30 AM will help to maximise savings on airfares.

Weekday

Wednesday

Time

8:30 am

Top international destinations and their best time to book flights

  • Destinations in South-East Asia and Middle east area top the chart for Indians when it comes to international travel
  • Indians can save up to 30-33 per cent if they book around 2 months in advance for most international trips
  • Phuket is the top trending destination amongst Indian travellers and has seen 111 per cent year-on-year search growth increase, followed by Istanbul (+85 per cent year-on-year search growth) and Moscow (+81 per cent year-on-year search growth)

Top International Destinations

Ranking

Top Destinations

Best Time To Book (months in advance)

Potential Saving (%)

Cheapest month to travel

1

Bangkok

2 months in advance

Up to 25%

September

2

Dubai

2 months in advance

Up to 30%

March

3

Singapore

3.5 months in advance

Up to 24%

July

4

New York

3 months in advance

Up to 21%

October

5

London

2 months in advance

Up to 15%

November

6

San Francisco

2 months in advance

Up to 19%

March

7

Bali

2.5 months in advance

Up to 29%

March

8

Toronto

1.5 months in advance

Up to 18%

November

9

Hong Kong

3 months in advance

Up to 33%

March

10

Chicago

2 months in advance

Up to 11%

February

Top Trending International Destinations

Ranking

Trending Destinations

Year-on-year search growth

Best Time To Book (months in advance)

Potential Saving (%)

Cheapest month to travel

1

Phuket

+111%

3.5 months in advance

Up to 39%

October

2

Istanbul

+85%

2 months in advance

Up to 37%

December

3

Moscow

+81%

2.5 months in advance

Up to 33%

October

4

Bangkok

+73%

2 months in advance

Up to 25%

September

5

Singapore

+66%

3.5 months in advance

Up to 24%

July

6

Colombo

+63%

1.5 months in advance

Up to -26%

April

7

Vancouver

+62%

1.5 months in advance

Up to 21%

October

8

Toronto

+60%

1.5 months in advance

Up to 18%

November

9

Dubai

+58%

2 months in advance

Up to 30%

March

10

Bali

+39%

2.5 months in advance

Up to 29%

March

Top domestic destinations and their best time to book flights

  • Goa is the all-time favourite destination amongst Indian travellers when they plan travelling closer home. Travellers can save up to 26 per cent on airfare if book two weeks in advance when planning travel to Goa
  • Indians can find the best deals for domestic flights they book 2 weeks in advance rather than waiting till the last minute  
  • Varanasi has ranked as the top trending destination amongst Indian traveller, seeing a 86 per cent increase in year-on-year search growth followed by Patna (+84 per cent year-on-year search growth) and Srinagar (+68 per cent year-on-year search growth)

Top Domestic Destinations

Ranking

Top Destinations

Best Time To Book (months in advance)

Potential Saving (%)

Best time to travel

1

Goa

0.5 month in advance

Up to 26%

July

2

New Delhi

1 month in advance

Up to 39%

August

3

Mumbai

2 months in advance

Up to 47%

August

4

Bengaluru

0.5 month in advance

Up to 33%

July

5

Chennai

0.5 month in advance

Up to 30%

July

6

Hyderabad

0.5 month in advance

Up to 37%

July

7

Kochi

0.5 month in advance

Up to 25%

August

8

Kolkata

0.5 month in advance

Up to 30%

August

9

Pune

0.5 month in advance

Up to 39%

September

10

Port Blair

2 months in advance

Up to 26%

July

Top Trending Domestic Destinations

Ranking

Trending Destinations

Year-on-year search growth

Best Time To Book (months in advance)

Potential Saving (%)

Best time to travel

1

Vārānasi

+86%

0.5 month in advance

Up to 21%

July

2

Patna

+84%

0.5 month in advance

Up to 26%

September

3

Srinagar

+68%

1.5 months in advance

Up to 18%

August

4

Lucknow

+63%

1 week in advance

Up to 9%

March

5

Guwahati

+58%

1 month in advance

Up to 25%

August

6

Tirupati

+57%

0.5 month in advance

Up to 26%

April

7

Jaipur

+57%

1 month in advance

Up to 37%

July

8

Amritsar

+54%

0.5 month in advance

Up to 29%

August

9

Bengaluru

+50%

0.5 month in advance

Up to 33%

July

10

Ahmedabad

+50%

1 week in advance

Up to 20%

July

 

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