- Indian travelers can save more than 40% on domestic airfare by booking at the right time
- Spring and early winters are the cheapest seasons to travel abroad
New Delhi, January 25, 2019: The best time for Indian travelers to book for holiday destinations is two months is advance, reveals a survey by KAYAK (KAYAK.co.in) – the world’s leading travel search engine. According to KAYAK’s latest 2019 ‘Best Time To Book’ from India travel guide, the best time for Indian travelersto avail the best deals on airfare are on Wednesdays at 8:30 AM. By making advance bookings of two months for international trips and two weeks for domestic travel, they can save anywhere from 10% to 47%.
Based on KAYAK’s data, it is revealed that March is the cheapest month for quick getaways to destinations like Dubai, Bali and Hong Kong, if booked two to three months in advance. For travels within India, travelers can save anywhere between 26% to 37% by planning a trip for July to southern regions like Goa, Chennai, Hyderabad and Port Blair.
The survey also reports that domestic destinations like Goa, New Delhi and Mumbai; and international locations like Bangkok, Dubai and Singapore are the most searched destinations by Indian travelers.
KAYAK’s data and analysis also reveal that the best way to save on flight cost is not necessarily by booking early in advance – rather, knowing the right time to book is more important. In fact, savings are not limited to only Asian destinations: some popular long-haul destinations like New York, London, Toronto and Moscow, where Indian travelers can book with at lower price if they book 1.5 – 2.5 months in advance.
Abhijit Mishra, Regional Director of KAYAK India & the Middle East said, “KAYAK looked through it historical data collected from the past two years to draw together our findings in the 2019 “Best Time to Book” from India travel guide. We hope that the guide will serve as a helpful reference for Indian travelers when planning travel to their top international and domestic destinations.”
Whenever travelers feel unsure whether it is the right time to book, users can use KAYAK’s unique Price Forecast feature, which uses previous flight data to predict whether flight prices are likely to drop, or whether you should ‘Buy now’. Or set up a Price Alert for desired flights and hotels, to receive instant notification as soon as the price changes for the deal you’re interested in.
Table 1: Indian travelers 2018 most searched international destinations and corresponding best timesto book
| Ranking | Top destinations | Best time to book (month before) | Potential saving (%) | Cheapest month to travel |
| 1 | Bangkok | 2 months in advance | Up to 25% | September |
| 2 | Dubai | 2 months in advance | Up to 30% | March |
| 3 | Singapore | 3.5 months in advance | Up to 24% | July |
| 4 | New York | 3 months in advance | Up to 21% | October |
| 5 | London | 2 months in advance | Up to 15% | November |
| 6 | San Francisco | 2 months in advance | Up to 19% | March |
| 7 | Bali | 2.5 months in advance | Up to 29% | March |
| 8 | Toronto | 1.5 months in advance | Up to 18% | November |
| 9 | Hong Kong | 3 months in advance | Up to 33% | March |
| 10 | Chicago | 2 months in advance | Up to 11% | February |
Table 2: Indian travellers’ 2018 most searched domestic destinations and corresponding best timesto book
| Ranking | Top destinations | Best time to book (month before) | Potential saving (%) | Cheapest month to travel |
| 1 | Goa | 0.5 month in advance | Up to 26% | July |
| 2 | New Delhi | 1 month in advance | Up to 39% | August |
| 3 | Mumbai | 2 months in advance | Up to 47% | August |
| 4 | Bengaluru | 0.5 month in advance | Up to 33% | July |
| 5 | Chennai | 0.5 month in advance | Up to 30% | July |
| 6 | Hyderabad | 0.5 month in advance | Up to 37% | July |
| 7 | Kochi | 0.5 month in advance | Up to 25% | August |
| 8 | Kolkata | 0.5 month in advance | Up to 30% | August |
| 9 | Pune | 0.5 month in advance | Up to 39% | September |
| 10 | Port Blair | 2 months in advance | Up to 26% | July |
Table 3: Indian travellers’ 2018 trending international destinations and corresponding best times tobook
| Ranking | Trending destinations | Year-on- year search growth (%) | Best time to book (months/weeks before) | Potential saving (%) | Cheapest month to travel |
| 1 | Phuket | 111% | 3.5 months in advance | Up to 39% | October |
| 2 | Istanbul | 85% | 2 months in advance | Up to 37% | December |
| 3 | Moscow | 81% | 2.5 months in advance | Up to 33% | October |
| 4 | Bangkok | 73% | 2 months in advance | Up to 25% | September |
| 5 | Singapore | 66% | 3.5 months in advance | Up to 24% | July |
| 6 | Colombo | 63% | 1.5 months in advance | Up to 26% | April |
| 7 | Vancouver | 62% | 1.5 months in advance | Up to 21% | October |
| 8 | Toronto | 60% | 1.5 months in advance | Up to 18% | November |
| 9 | Dubai | 58% | 2 months in advance | Up to 30% | March |
| 10 | Bali | 39% | 2.5 months in advance | Up to 29% | March |
Table 4: Indian travellers’ 2018 trending domestic destinations and corresponding best times tobook
| Ranking | Trending destinations | Year-on- year search growth (%) | Best time to book (months/weeks before) | Potential saving (%) | Cheapest month to travel |
| 1 | Vārānasi | 86% | 0.5 month in advance | Up to 21% | July |
| 2 | Patna | 84% | 0.5 month in advance | Up to 26% | September |
| 3 | Srinagar | 68% | 1.5 months in advance | Up to 18% | August |
| 4 | Lucknow | 63% | 1 week in advance | Up to 9% | March |
| 5 | Guwahati | 58% | 1 month in advance | Up to 25% | August |
| 6 | Tirupati | 57% | 0.5 month in advance | Up to 26% | April |
| 7 | Jaipur | 57% | 1 month in advance | Up to 37% | July |
| 8 | Amritsar | 54% | 0.5 month in advance | Up to 29% | August |
| 9 | Bengaluru | 50% | 0.5 month in advance | Up to 33% | July |
| 10 | Ahmedabad | 50% | 1 week in advance | Up to 20% | July |
Corporate Comm India(CCI Newswire)
