India, 18 December 2023 — Global travel marketplace Skyscanner reflects on a year of helping more travellers than ever explore the world and shares a wrap-up of how India travelled in 2023.
Top spots for Indian travellers in 2023
Dubai claims its spot as the most popular international destination in 2023. Celebrated for its modern extravagance and world-class attractions – from artificial islands to mega malls and majestic skyscrapers – Indian travellers loved to visit the gleaming city in 2023.
Bangkok was the second most popular international destination for Indian travellers this year. From savoring street food delights in bustling markets to exploring ornate temples like Wat Pho and indulging in the vibrant nightlife along Khao San Road, the city known for its bustling energy and cultural richness captivated Indian travellers in 2023.
Cheapest flights, hotels & car hire of 2023 revealed
This year, more and more Indian travellers opted for alternative, budget-friendly Indian cities that deliver on culture and cuisine. According to Skyscanner data, Jagdalpur in India was the cheapest flight destination of them all with return flights costing just ₹3,035 on average in 2023[4].
As revealed in our infographic, Skyscanner has also identified the cheapest destination to book each month for Indian travellers throughout 2023,[5] as well as the cheapest three-star hotel stay and city to hire a car in 2023[6]:
- After analysing prices across thousands of destinations globally, Nha Trang in Vietnam is revealed as the cheapest city for a three-star hotel stay, for those travelling from India. Known for its picturesque coastal beauty and cultural heritage, Nha Trang offers not only affordability but also promises a delightful stay enriched with Vietnam’s diverse experiences.
- Doha in Qatar comes out on top as the city with the cheapest car hire offering, with Indian travellers paying only ₹2,198/day on average. Doha is an excellent starting point to embark on a road trip adventure, allowing travellers to traverse Doha’s modern marvels, visit iconic cultural sites, and delve into the desert landscapes.
Skyscanner’s Travel Trends and Destination Expert, Mohit Joshi, shares, “As we reflect on the year of travel, it’s clear how Indians have embraced global exploration despite tightened budgets. This traveller behaviour correlates with the emerging trends as revealed in our recent Travel Trends 2024 report, which highlights that the value of experiences and cultural exploration will be key considerations, with price no longer solely ruling decision-making for Indian travellers.
We expect this momentum to only grow next year as the 2024 report also highlights that 86% of Indian travellers plan to take the same number, if not more, trips abroad in 2024 compared to 2023. We also predict Nice in France to be a great-value destination for Indian travellers in 2024, with airfares having dropped by over a third over the past 12 months.
2024 will also see Indian travellers heading abroad to see their favourite artists play, with a third of fans saying they would travel to short-haul destinations to hear their favourite artists live, while 20% would fly long-haul.”
How Skyscanner supported global travel in 2023
Skyscanner has helped more than 100 million users every month from across the globe find their perfect flight, hotel stay and car rental in 2023 and have continued to innovate and evolve the site and app to make planning and booking their next trip as simple (and budget friendly) as possible.
Chief Product Officer, Piero Sierra shares a glimpse into what we’ve launched and what we’re experimenting with globally** – all to help make our travellers’ bucket lists a reality:
Evolving what we do and how we show up for travellers
- We’re testing a ‘Dream & discover with AI’ tool in selected markets to see how AI can help travellers discover new places, unforgettable experiences and travel inspo – all by asking one simple question: What kind of trip is on your mind?
- In 2023, we implemented a plethora of accessibility improvements to our colour palette and vastly optimized our screen reader experience on the site and in our app. We also built strong foundations this year with all new Skyscanner staff experiencing an Empathy Lab, extensive training undertaken and best practices plugged in throughout the product development process
- Since its launch last year, we’ve seen the number of global travellers selecting low emissions car hire rentals more than triple. What’s more, in June we took an important step in our journey to reaching net zero by publishing our Climate Action Plan.
- This year we launched Skyscanner’s ChatGPT plug-in and also powered a bunch of new travel pals including Jacks Flight Club, Beautiful Destinations, Guide Geek, FareFirst, Petit Fute, Curly Tales and The Travel Mum to name a few – you’ll even find us on Samsung smart fridges and freezers!
Finding simple solutions to holiday planning and booking struggles
- We’re evolving our Everywhere search. In October, we tested allowing travellers to narrow down their search, whatever their trip’s vibe – whether that’s great beaches, an exciting food scene, or anything in between. More to come on this one in 2024!
- Launched on our mobile site first, travellers can now save their searched flights to come back to – just tap the heart! What’s more, we’ll send a Price Alert if that fare goes up or down.
- As of August, Skyscanner now supports 32 languages including 2023’s additions – Hindi and Hebrew.
- One of our latest features (due to launch in Canada and Mexico shortly with more to come including APAC markets, in 2024) sees Skyscanner prices include baggage allowances, weights and costs – giving travellers more visibility of the true total cost of a flight. Whilst in car hire results, we grouped prices by car type so travellers can compare cars more efficiently.
- For flexible travellers, we’ve started to experiment with how to show alternative options in the results page i.e. our latest test shows if a direct flight is available on an alternative day.
- From Expedia and TripAdvisor reviews now showing in hotels results to easier to digest airline and online travel agent emoji ratings on our mobile site, we’ve continually evolved our traveller ratings and reviews in 2023 to help travellers choose the best providers.
Helping travellers bag the best price for their next trip
- Historically one of our most popular money-saving tools, Cheapest Month is back – making it easier to see the cheapest price per month and also the absolute cheapest month of the year to visit a destination when searching for ‘flexible dates’.
- Using traffic light colour-coding we also made it easier to spot the cheapest flight price within the search panel on our site.
- Throughout the year we’ve continued to build an extensive library of FAQs on a selection of destinations that give travellers insights i.e. the cheapest time to fly, the average cost of a four-star hotel or car rental in a specific destination – just search ‘Skyscanner flights to…’ for example.
