This year's monsoon season brought a 23.5% increase in India's domestic tourism. Compared to last year's rise by a margin of 18.5%, this increase could be attributed to resorts, hotels and airlines offering significantly low tariffs and discounts.
According to Assocham, an Indian Tourism Industry Group, domestic tourism in India has experienced a sudden swell within the last three years – especially during the monsoon season. Based on their research, Assocham established that in addition to the discounts being offered in hotels, airlines and resorts, the sudden increase in the demand for local Indian destinations was catapulted by a swelling middle class thus, more income.
According to Assochams' Secretary General, DS Rawat, the monsoon period is usually very lean. Therefore, families in India strive to ensure they reap as much leisure as they can during this period. He added that traveling costs during this season are usually lower by 20-25%.
The survey, via which these figures were established, was carried out in major Indian cities; Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Chandigarh, and Ahemdabad. The survey included over 350 participants, most of whom were tour operators.
The Assocham Tourism Council further revealed that in previous years, the monsoon season was not as active as it is nowadays. The council goes on to state that in the recent past, the number of people who come out to tap from the slim monsoon window is overwhelmingly high.
According to the information obtained during the survey, some of the most popular sites during the monsoon season include: Goa, Ladakh, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Munnar, Gangtok, Odisha, Manali, Darjeeling, Kerala, Himachal, Jaipur, Udaipur, Agra and the Bharatpur bird sanctuary.
With the country's domestic tourism steadily thriving, it is highly expected that the growth will continue until virtually every Indian gets to experience the country's beauty during the monsoon season.
