The new-age traveller is well-read, discerning and wants excitement, convenience and the best deals, all at once, when planning a holiday. They command greater customization as they have the desire to go beyond the traditional itinerary. Due to growing internet penetration and social media awareness among Indians, travellers are seeking novel experiences like never before. They now desire a deeper connection on holidays and look for personalized vacations. Rigid travel packages can no longer find appeal with today’s evolved traveller; they wish to have the power to create their own itineraries and book unique experiences on their own.

Travellers belonging to the Millennial and Gen Z age group have been observed to favor flexibility and customization of holiday plans with great interest. The trend seen in recent years, with millennial travellers is forsaking big hotels in preference of hostel stays. Youth hostels offer them unique accommodations and experiences. Since the trend is shifting from solo travel to social travel, hostels offer them the perfect chance to interact and socialize with new acquaintances and make new friends. This is unusual in popular hotels, which is why millennial are choosing hostels – which offer them the benefit of socialization, without compromising on space and security. Travellers belonging to the archetype of ‘Convenience-seekers’ also prefer customizing their holiday itinerary, to suit their needs best.

Experience is now integral to core travel products. Indian travellers today want more than a photograph as a souvenir from their trip. As they go on a holiday, they find new activities to pursue, according to their needs and interests. A customized vacation offer travellers the freedom to personalize their holiday that best matches their interests and helps them prioritize experiences accordingly to have a more fulfilling trip. This has led travellers to opt for unique delights like castle stays, home stays and even youth hostel experiences. This exploration into the realm of travel has encouraged the emergence of new travel segments, which include adventure travel, culinary travel, historic travel and more.

According to Daniel D’Souza, President and Country Head Leisure at SOTC Travel, “The New age travellers’ expectations have increased and this has driven various changes within the sector. Different segments of travellers seek different travel experiences. Therefore they now look to compose their own holiday itineraries that encompass a wide range of activities and experiences. To enhance their experience, our On-The-Go feature offers consumers exclusive local activities, workshops, private tours and much more. With Trip Planner, our AI driven Tool, customers can build their itineraries across 80000 destinations making holiday planning fast, fun and easy. With the help of this technology, travellers can get personalized and intelligent travel solutions tailored according to their needs. To cater to the growing demand for customized holiday offerings, we have created affordable customized holidays to some of the most popular destinations in –Europe and USA ensuring unique, memorable and valuable travel experiences for our customers.”