Indians holiday more lavishly as COVID curbs ease: Report

Indians are holidaying more lavishly, spending on five-star hotels and business class flight tickets, as the nation is coming out of the coronavirus pandemic, which had restricted travel for two years, according to the nation’s second-largest online travel agency. 

Prashant Pitti, a co-founder of EaseMyTrip, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television “People are living their lives and splurging on travel”, adding, “It’s a shift which is happening for good, for long-term”. 

Also Read | Top US airlines urge Joe Biden to scrap COVID travel mandates as cases dip

A larger number of Indians are flying as the nation has eased travel curbs while opening up international travel as well. Millions have been stuck at home so far, and this pent up demand is driving current travel needs, as per reports. 

India, which was the world’s quickest growing aviation market before the pandemic, expects local traffic to go beyond pre-pandemic levels of 415,000 daily fliers in a year. 

Many of the nation’s airline companies are also adding more flights to match the revived demand since international flights resumed operation. Indian Civil Aviation Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, said last week, that India could have to add nearly 120 planes each year. He also urged airlines to expand fleets to meet international travel expectations. 

Also Read | Malaysia and Singapore have pledged to work toward full travel resumption

Pitti also addressed the spike in airfare, saying that jump has been rather dramatic, as airlines grapple with rising oil prices. However, the EaseMyTrip cofounder expects this to be a short-lived spike. 

Pitti added, “India is looking great, in lines to recover very rapidly from the onslaught which we all have been through in the last two years. The pent-up demand won’t shorten for next couple of years”. 

Also Read | Dubai waives off rapid COVID-19 test at Indian airports for travellers before departure

He also spoke of the profitable growth of EaseMyTrip, which sold shares to the public in 2021. Pitti noted the company’s net income would most likely surpass $118 million for the year ending March 31. This would be a jump from $80 million which the company saw last year.