Off-beaten Indian destinations top trending on Airbnb in 2022

NEW DELHI: Off-the-beaten-path destinations in India saw a spike in tourists' interest in 2022, with places like Madhapur, Telangana; Rameswaram and Vellore in Tamil Nadu; Cherrapunji‎, Meghalaya; and Pimpri-Chinchwad, Maharashtra; being the top-trending spots, according to data released by Airbnb on Monday.

International travel saw a strong recovery in 2022, a trend that should continue to rise in 2023, found the round-up of key trends presented by Airbnb, with Indians searching for the most iconic cities around the world, and solo travel emerging as the most popular type of international travel as of the third quarter (October-December) of 2022, followed by couple and family travel.

Benefiting local communities by travelling to off-the-beaten-path destinations will further help in tourism recovery, Airbnb stated, observing that domestically, Indians are exploring off-beat destinations in states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Meghalaya and Telangana.

Dubai, London, Paris, Toronto and New York were the most searched for destinations internationally by Indian guests as of Q3 2022.

''In India, hospitality is deeply rooted in the diversity found in local culture, cuisine, lifestyle preferences and the way we welcome people into our homes. Delhi, Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh are topping the charts when it comes to hospitality, with the highest share of 5-star reviews from guests on Airbnb.

Airbnb data also revealed that guests chose to enjoy city life as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata were the most searched for domestic destinations by Indians in 2022.

In 2022, travellers found themselves sitting pool-side or catching rays on a sandy beach. Both of these water-related categories occupied the top spots amongst Indian travellers, with tropical, iconic city and national parks also making appearances, it said.

Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnb's General Manager for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, said: ''The past year was about the revival and recovery of the travel industry.

This year is expected to see travellers taking much-awaited international trips as well as exploring lesser known destinations in India and around the world.

People are preparing their bucket lists for the year, and this growing appetite for travel is a positive sign''. The top five hosts in India with the highest number of bookings in 2022 were from Mumbai (Maharashtra), New Delhi (Delhi), Guwahati (Assam), Goa and (Hyderabad) Telangana, the Airbnb data said.