Travelling during Covid: Hills or beaches? The eternal dilemma for a traveller continues as more people are preferring hill-stations as holiday destinations to escape the monotony and psychological stress caused by the unprecedented Coronavirus pandemic.

The travel trends in the new normal have indicated that more people have plans to go on holiday during festival season. Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Uttarakhand, North-east, Kerala, and Rajasthan are top five destinations for holiday goers within India during the Coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey conducted by online travel portal Yatra.com.

Around 5,000 respondents took part in the Yatra’s annual festive survey. The survey showed an “uptick in demand for travel as almost 75 per cent of respondents said they are planning to take up a vacation compared to 2019 where 61 per cent of respondents were willing to go on a holiday during the festive season.”

The trend of advance booking showed 39.3 percent of respondents planning leisure trips for more than one month in advance to rest, relax, and recuperate. However, number of cases in the vicinity, sanitization measures adopted, government guidelines, amenities in case of emergency are among the factors that have been getting priority from travelers.

The trend of advance booking showed 39.3 percent of respondents planning leisure trips for more than one month in advance to rest, relax, and recuperate. However, number of cases in the vicinity, sanitization measures adopted, government guidelines, amenities in case of emergency are among the factors that have been getting priority from travelers.

While over 52 per cent of respondents sought medical or travel insurance, more than 50 per cent of the participants have revealed that they would prefer ordering room service rather than visiting restaurants and bars. More than 72 per cent of respondents said that they will be going through sanitization processes followed by monuments and tourist spots before planning a visit to them. Around 48 per cent of respondents are planning their holiday with the family.

Interestingly, hills seem to be beating beaches as preferred location for holiday goers. Over 37 per cent of respondents said they would like to visit the hills. Meanwhile, budget travel continues to see a spike as over 35 per cent of respondents have set Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 per person as set targets for their budget during vacations, the Yatra survey said.