Catapulted by a world leading Digital Public Infrastructure, the Indian consumer is an active user of online services across a range of sectors and industries. Whether it is ordering grocery or fashion items, booking tickets to shows or accessing government services, an average Indian across the length and breadth of the country confidently interacts and transacts on the Internet.

However, this confidence is found wanting when it comes to holiday bookings. While hotel reservations and transport bookings across flights, rail, buses, and taxis have shown significant digital skew, holiday package bookings are still primarily done over the phone or in person. Despite a range of online players offering online holiday bookings, Indian tourists have not shown the enthusiasm for these online services to the extent shown for other industries and even for transport services.

In a bid to understand the reasons that discourage people from booking holidays online in India, Alike, the social travel marketplace, recently conducted a survey across its official social media channels and online travel communities. This survey aimed to uncover the key reasons that put-off people from booking their holidays online.

The survey findings reveal that 40% of respondents found the information on destinations, accommodations, or prices to be misleading, which erodes trust in online holiday brands.

A further 26% of respondents were put-off by a previous experience of subpar customer service during travel planning, that left them feeling unheard and unsupported.

The report further highlighted that 21% of respondents expressed frustration with the time-consuming process of hunting for the best deals tailored to their preferences. This arduous task of sifting through numerous options often leads to hours spent comparing choices.

And the final 12% respondents noted the absence of personalised recommendations and travel options, which resulted in a feeling of robotic treatment with one size fits all, cookie-cutter options presented on the online holiday booking platforms.

Booking a trip online should be a hassle-free journey, brimming with delightful experiences. However, the survey presents a concerning lack of trust in online holiday bookings by Indian travellers. From hidden fees and misleading promotions to lack of customer support, the online travel industry faces a pressing challenge: restoring faith in a medium that was designed to simplify and enhance the travel experience.

“The Indian consumer is used to benchmark digital experiences in their daily life, and it is high time they are served with similar quality of service in online holiday bookings as well. We at Alike are proud of the continued top-rated reviews from our global customers and are committed to offering the same trustworthy online experiences for holiday bookings for our Indian customers, that are based on global best practices”.

 Ashish Sidhra, Co-founder at Alike

As we delve deeper into this issue, it becomes evident that the path to regaining customer trust is not just about technology, but about transparency, integrity, and genuine customer-centricity. Travel tech platforms like Alike have a unique opportunity to address these clearly articulated customer concerns to regain traveller trust and unlock the significant business opportunities in the process.

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