Page 5 - Tourism Industry
By stressing quantity over quality, travel industry has sparked a backlash
Increasing the number of visitors has generated profits for travel companies but it has not always benefited local communities and environments where tourism occurs
 "By stressing quantity over quality, travel industry has sparked a backlash")
More Indians opt for smaller vacations, multiple times
Small is big. More Indians are increasingly opting for short haul tours during the year, but multiple times. In fact, this has emerged as the largest segment for tour operators off late, and weekend bookings are growing at 40 per cent. Rajeev Kale, president & country head, leisure travel and M.I.C.E at Thomas Cook (India) Limited said that Thomas Cook India has observed a surge in weekend bookings of over 35 per cent (international) and 50 cent (domestic) as compared to last year. A recent Yatra Summer Survey has shown that 59.9 per cent Indians opt for two to three holidays in a year, compared to 30.6 per cent people who travel once a year. Only 9.5 per cent Indians travel more than four times in a year. Sharat Dhall, president, Yatra said that over 70 per cent of the overall bookings that Yatra gets are for such short haul holidays. "Most of the hotel and flights bookings market is now happening online, and given good deals on offer, the trend has been picking up over the past
 "More Indians opt for smaller vacations, multiple times")
