Skyscanner has seen significant growth in the Indian market over the past few years, with India emerging as one of Skyscanner’s top five markets, driven by a surge in both international and domestic travel searches.
Hugh Aitken, vice president, strategic relations and development, Skyscanner, who was on a visit to New Delhi last week, shared: “India has grown substantially for us in the last couple of years. India is now one of our top five markets. Since 2019, we have seen a 121 per cent growth in bookings via Skyscanner for international destinations in India and a 639 per cent growth in domestic bookings. Comparing January this year with last year, we saw a 35 per cent growth in international searches. We are seeing substantial growth in the Indian market.”
The top trending destination for Indian travellers in 2024 is Danang, Vietnam; Bana Hill in Danang, pictured
Skyscanner has strengthened its partnerships with all major Indian airlines and OTAs to ensure travellers have access to the best prices, content, and choices. Earlier this month, Skyscanner announced a partnership with Indian carrier Akasa Air, offering the latter an audience of over 110 million monthly users searching for flights on Skyscanner platforms.
Aitken noted: “As a marketplace, we have on one side, travellers, and the other side, partners. We have strong partnerships with all the Indian airlines and OTAs. In the last few years, we have worked towards building our partner size for the marketplace so when travellers come to Skyscanner in India, they know they can see the best prices, best content, and the best choice.”
To enhance its local presence, Skyscanner launched a Hindi site last year and is considering introducing its platform in other regional languages. The company has also noted a growing trend of Indian travellers seeking inspiration on Skyscanner, and searches from India – without a specific destination in mind – have grown by over 55 per cent in 2023 compared to 2022.
According to Skyscanner’s research, 61 per cent of Indian travellers planned on taking more trips in 2024 versus 2023, which is higher than in the US (44 per cent) and the UK (32 per cent) and represents the highest intent among the markets in Asia-Pacific (Singapore at 54 per cent, South Korea at 46 per cent, and Australia at 38 per cent).
Aitken noted that on average, Indian travellers planned on taking three trips in 2024, compared to the 2.5 trips recorded in 2023.
Skyscanner is also seeing Indian travellers exploring new destinations. The top trending destination for Indian travellers is Danang, Vietnam, with a growth of 1,141 per cent. Other top outbound destinations for Indian travellers in 2024 include the cities Dubai, London, Bangkok, Toronto, and Jeddah. Domestically, the top destinations are New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Goa, and Hyderabad.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Skyscanner is observing a preference for shorter-term booking windows compared to other markets. While 40 per cent of American travellers plan longhaul travel more than three months in advance, in Asia-Pacific, it is only 28 per cent.
Editor’s note: This copy has been amended with updates from Skyscanner relating to several data points.
Skyscanner has seen significant growth in the Indian market over the past few years, with India emerging as one of Skyscanner’s top five markets, driven by a surge in both international and domestic travel searches.
Hugh Aitken, vice president, strategic relations and development, Skyscanner, who was on a visit to New Delhi last week, shared: “India has grown substantially for us in the last couple of years. India is now one of our top five markets. Since 2019, we have seen a 121 per cent growth in bookings via Skyscanner for international destinations in India and a 639 per cent growth in domestic bookings. Comparing January this year with last year, we saw a 35 per cent growth in international searches. We are seeing substantial growth in the Indian market.”
Skyscanner has strengthened its partnerships with all major Indian airlines and OTAs to ensure travellers have access to the best prices, content, and choices. Earlier this month, Skyscanner announced a partnership with Indian carrier Akasa Air, offering the latter an audience of over 110 million monthly users searching for flights on Skyscanner platforms.
Aitken noted: “As a marketplace, we have on one side, travellers, and the other side, partners. We have strong partnerships with all the Indian airlines and OTAs. In the last few years, we have worked towards building our partner size for the marketplace so when travellers come to Skyscanner in India, they know they can see the best prices, best content, and the best choice.”
To enhance its local presence, Skyscanner launched a Hindi site last year and is considering introducing its platform in other regional languages. The company has also noted a growing trend of Indian travellers seeking inspiration on Skyscanner, and searches from India – without a specific destination in mind – have grown by over 55 per cent in 2023 compared to 2022.
According to Skyscanner’s research, 61 per cent of Indian travellers planned on taking more trips in 2024 versus 2023, which is higher than in the US (44 per cent) and the UK (32 per cent) and represents the highest intent among the markets in Asia-Pacific (Singapore at 54 per cent, South Korea at 46 per cent, and Australia at 38 per cent).
Aitken noted that on average, Indian travellers planned on taking three trips in 2024, compared to the 2.5 trips recorded in 2023.
Skyscanner is also seeing Indian travellers exploring new destinations. The top trending destination for Indian travellers is Danang, Vietnam, with a growth of 1,141 per cent. Other top outbound destinations for Indian travellers in 2024 include the cities Dubai, London, Bangkok, Toronto, and Jeddah. Domestically, the top destinations are New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Goa, and Hyderabad.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Skyscanner is observing a preference for shorter-term booking windows compared to other markets. While 40 per cent of American travellers plan longhaul travel more than three months in advance, in Asia-Pacific, it is only 28 per cent.
Editor’s note: This copy has been amended with updates from Skyscanner relating to several data points.