There's little chance you're planning a holiday anytime soon. But that does mean you can't travel, virtually! The world is - quite literally - our oyster right now. You can now hike across forests while sitting on the couch; climb Mt Everest with the click of a mouse; or even blast right off the face of the planet, courtesy NASA's virtual space tours.
So, where are Indians virtually travelling to while in lockdown?
"People are watching content from within the country like Udaipur and luxury-themed videos. However, there are the forever favorites, like Venice, London, Singapore, US and Dubai. Some emerging tourist hot spots such as Istanbul and Marrakech, too, are becoming popular," says Purav Shah, CEO and co-founder of QuaQua, a virtual travel platform.
While the seven wonders like the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China continue to catch the fancy of the desi traveller, many are now embarking on "theme-based travel", according Samrat Patnaik, founder, TripExploria. "There are mountains, heritage, art and culture, beaches and adventure-based virtual trips available to them. What's more, if you are traveling virtually, you can cover many destinations in one day," he says.
WHAT'S TRENDING IN INDIA?Top international attractions:
- Louvre museum, Paris
- The Colosseum, Italy
- Great Wall of China
- The Palm Jumeirah aerial tour, Dubai
- Swiss Alps
- Exotic island resorts, Maldives
Top Indian hot spots:
- Taj Mahal & Fatehpuri Sikri, Agra
- Victoria Memorial, Kolkata
- Hampi, Karnataka
- Pushkar Camel Fair, Rajasthan
- Sardar Patel Statue, Gujarat
- Konark Temple, Odisha
*Data by TripExploria Providing some insight into why these spots are trending, Akshay Avasthi, head, product, QuaQua, tells us, "Dubai, Singapore, London have always been popular global destinations but weren’t trending pre-Covid as compared to say Bali, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, etc. However, they’ve been among the top 10 most viewed content always. During the lockdown, we all want to feel happy, and dream of travelling some day. Hence, people are starting to look for places on their bucket list. The above mentioned destinations have been on bucket lists globally. Besides this, experiential travel is a big draw among the 21-37 age group. We are also seeing a lot of hits for luxury and aspirational destination."
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