Most Indians want to fly with Becks, Emma, Bond

When it comes to travelling, Indians are the most family-oriented globally and prefer destinations that offer fun activities for all, according to a British Airways survey.

“Sixty-four per cent Indians feel the availability of family fun activities are the most important factor when choosing a holiday destination,” the Travel Habit Survey has revealed.

Travellers from India also said they will choose destinations based on historical landmarks and if the tourist centres come with great shopping choices, it added. The survey was done by the airline online across selected countries in Asia-Pacific. In India it was conducted among 501 adults between February 25 and March 9, 2016.

It found that English soccer star David Beckham is Indian travellers’ first choice among British celebrities for a flying companion (32 per cent). Beckham has also topped the lists in China, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea.

Other popular flying companion choices among travellers from India included Harry Potter actress and model, Emma Watson (29 per cent), who is also the favourite flying companion choice in Japan, Korea and Singapore whereas James Bond, Daniel Craig, came in third with 24 per cent.

Interestingly, nearly half (48 per cent) of the Indian participants were inspired to visit the UK following popular British movie James Bond, 42 per cent and 34 per cent of the respondents said they find their travel inspiration from Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes, respectively. Tourists from China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore also voted the Harry Potter series as “the” British movies that would inspire them to travel to the UK. Twenty-four per cent of Indian holiday-makers picked Paris as the top dream destination in Europe followed by London (20 per cent). The French capital also tops the dream destination list for sightseers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Singapore.