Younger travellers ditching tourist hubs for low-key spots

Two months into her first job and already exhausted, a 25-year-old lawyer heads to a Vipassana meditation retreat in East Champaran to disconnect and reset. Filmmaker Anmol Bali prefers the solitude of distant hills, pitching tents in off-grid locations with no cellular community like Pangi in Himachal, or staying in homestays in Kerala’s Wayanad to expertise native hospitality.Textile design scholar Pratiksha Rajani from NIFT Bengaluru avoids Instagram-famous spots, as an alternative selecting hidden seashores in Gokarna or unmarked waterfalls whereas trying to find a vegetarian-friendly restaurant.

That is how the stressed Indian Gen Z is redefining home tourism—by making it extra exploratory and deeply private.

Not like earlier generations that favoured well-trodden vacationer circuits, right now’s younger feed their wanderlust flocking to lesserknown locales, with a pointy desire for authenticity, affordability, and offbeat experiences.

“Gen Z’s journey preferences considerably diverge from these of older generations. This era locations a excessive worth on genuine experiences and exploration of meals, journey, and tradition. They’re extra inclined in direction of brief, frequent getaways all year long, a development that contrasts with the much less frequent however longer and extra elaborate holidays most well-liked by millennials,” mentioned Anuj Rathi, chief enterprise and development officer, Cleartrip.

EaseMyTrip chief govt Rikant Pittie echoes Rathi. “Solo journey is a dominant development, with 85% or extra planning solo journeys, whereas experiential stays close to nature reserves and distinctive areas are in excessive demand.”He cites locations like Ashtamudi in Kerala, identified for its serene backwater cruises, Naldehra in Himachal Pradesh, for scenic trekking trails and sizzling springs, and Valparai in Tamil Nadu as rising hotspots.EaseMyTrip’s information helps this, exhibiting Gen Z bookings doubling within the first three quarters of 2024 in comparison with 2023.