Indians rank second amongst $B!F(BBleisure$B!G(B travellers across 31 countries: Booking.com Research Study

72% of Indian business travellers indicate that they have extended a business trip to spend time enjoying the destination, second only to Thai travellers (80%) and more than the global average (51%)

 53% of Indian travellers say they plan to go on an international business trip in 2019

Nearly two-thirds of Indian travellers (65%) say that they have been on domestic business trips, which is the highest percentage globally, ahead of Indonesian (62%) and Chinese travellers (62%)

 When travelling for work, Indians claim to enjoy travelling for business the most of all the nationalities surveyed

by Samiksha

Mumbai, 04 June 2019 – Booking.com, one of the world$B!G(Bs leading digital travel platforms, today unveiled its latest research study which looks at the trend for $B!F(BBleisure$B!G(B Business travel and reveals that 72% of Indian business travellers extended their business trips to spend time enjoying the destination in 2018, while (53%) are planning an international business trip in 2019, the highest amongst 31 countries surveyed followed by Philippines (51%) and China (42%).

Nearly two-thirds of Indian travellers (65%) say that they have been on a domestic business trip, which is the highest percentage globally, ahead of Indonesian travellers (62%) and Chinese travellers (62%). In addition, more than half (58%) of Indian travellers reported that they had been on an international business trip in 2018. This is more than double the international standard (25%)* and the highest percentage amongst all 31 markets surveyed.

When travelling for work, Indians also claim to enjoy travelling for business the most of all the nationalities surveyed: 83% of Indian business travellers rates it a 7 out of 10 or higher, and 41% even rates it a 9 or higher. To compare, the same stats for global travellers are 58% and 21% respectively. Similarly, Indian business travellers are most positive of all the nationalities we surveyed when asked whether they are able to enjoy the destination on their business trips. Slightly over half (56%) of global business travellers report they often get to enjoy their travel destination, going up to over three quarters (76%) for Indian business travellers.

Lastly, the findings from the study also reveal some of the scenarios $B!F(BIndian Business Travellers$B!G(B are most anxious about when travelling. Almost 55% of Indian business travellers have expressed their concerns over the prospect of accommodations having received fake reviews and misleading photos. Adding on to this sentiment of insecurity, 53% feel apprehensive about their personal details being stolen if not, no confirmation of their bookings made from the service provider$B!G(Bs$B!G(B side in the first place. Apart from worries surrounding transparency, 48% feel that they may not pick the right place or get the best deal because of the cost associated with the accommodation.

Commenting on all these findings, Ritu Mehrotra, Country Manager, India, Sri Lanka and Maldives at Booking.com said, $B!H(BWe are witnessing a steady rise in $B!F(BBleisure$B!G(B trips being taken by Indian business travellers for both domestic and international destinations. Work hard, party harder is the new mantra for those who want to turn their business travel into an extended vacation demanding the best of both worlds. We$B!G(Bre likely to see this trend continue to grow in the near future, with the potential to help boost the Indian travel industry to scale further heights. At Booking.com we$B!G(Bre focused on making business travel as easy and seamless as possible, with tailored tools and services, taking the anxiety out of travel while also providing the most diverse choice, so that people can find, manage and enjoy company stays in the simplest, smartest and most rewarding way.$B!I(B                                     

International destinations by Business Travellers from India (01/18 to 12/18)	Domestic destinations by business Travellers from India (01/18 to 12/18)
Dubai	New Delhi
Singapore	Mumbai
Shanghai	Bengaluru
London	Chennai
Bangkok	Hyderabad

The trend of traveller$B!G(Bs extending their holiday after wrapping up their business trips is a way of letting off steam and de-stress, with the increasing number of Indians who work in MNCs and have to travel to different destinations for business purposes. Taking that little time off also allows them to recharge their batteries and give them some $B!F(Bme-time$B!G(B which helps with their personal growth.

Methodology:Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of 53,492 respondents across 31 markets. The results in this article focus on Indian travellers only, which consisted of 1,852 respondents. In order to participate in this survey, respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have travelled at least once in the past 12 months and be either the primary decision maker or involved in the decision making of their travel. The survey was taken online and took place between October 16th and November 12th, 2018. 

*This result is much higher than in the other 30 countries surveyed, even when taking into account different response attitudes by nationality

About Booking.com:Established in 1996 in Amsterdam, Booking.com B.V. has grown from a small Dutch start-up to one of the largest travel e-commerce companies in the world. Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com now employs more than 17,500 employees in 200+ offices in 70 countries worldwide.

With a mission to empower people to experience the world, Booking.com invests in digital technology that helps take the friction out of travel. At Booking.com, we connect travellers with the world$B!G(Bs largest selection of incredible places to stay, including everything from apartments, vacation homes, and family-run B&Bs to 5-star luxury resorts, tree houses and even igloos. The Booking.com website and mobile apps are available in 43 languages, offer over 28 million total reported listings, including more than 5.8 million listings of homes, apartments and other unique places to stay, and covers more than 147,000 destinations in 229 countries and territories worldwide.

Each day, more than 1.5 million room nights are reserved on our platform. So whether traveling for business or leisure, customers can instantly book their ideal place to stay quickly and easily with Booking.com, without booking fees and backed up by our promise to price match. Via our customer experience team, customers can reach Booking.com 24/7 for assistance and support in over 43 languages, any time of the day or night.