NEW DELHI: After spending nearly a year adhering to social distancing norms and the pandemic-led lockdown, consumer aspiration is leading to 'revenge travel' across short-haul destinations.

The hospitality industry felt the early signs of this travel during the festive season and the sentiment continues to see a positive movement every long weekend, said a statement by hospitality major On Your Own (OYO) Hotels & Homes.

OYO witnessed a 20 percent jump in occupancy over the Valentine's-Day weekend, with up to a 70 percent rise in online traffic of pre-COVID levels in India, indicating the country's rising confidence to travel again with guests ranging from SMEs, couples, family and friend groups, as well as solo travelers.

As India celebrated Valentine's Day, with around 20 percent demand stemming from Rajasthan in comparison to other leisure destinations, Jaipur continues to be the top choice amongst travelers. Goa and Kochi follow suit, the OYO statement said.

Last weekend, nearly 25 per cent of holidaymakers headed on road trips between the cities of Kochi, Agra, Visakhapatnam, Mysore and Udaipur.

Beach destinations across India including Goa, Puri, Pondicherry, and Digha as well as desert destinations, specifically, Jaipur, Jodhpur contributed to nearly 20 percent of the total Valentine's Day-led demand respectively, followed 12 percent of holidaymakers who preferred spending their weekend surrounded by nature at hill stations such as Ooty, Lonavala, Mussoorie, and Coorg.

Commenting on the spike in bookings, Yatish Jain, Chief Growth Officer, OYO Hotels & Homes, India and South Asia said: "Post-lockdown, we've seen an uptick in demand for several weekends, including Gandhi Jayanthi, Diwali, Christmas, New Years and now Valentine's Day.

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