78 per cent Indians like looking good when travelling: study

Mumbai: Fashion influences the modern day Indian travellers as 78 per cent feel looking good a very vital aspect of their holiday, according to a study.

According to a study by Netherlands-based travel e-commerce company Booking.com, Fashion Fix, 78 per cent of Indian travellers consider looking their best to be an important aspect while on vacation. It revealed that relative anonymity while travelling enables people to experiment, thus inspiring 82 per cent of the respondents to change their personal style after a vacation.

The research has been conducted among 21,500 respondents across 29 countries, including 1,000 each from Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, China, Brazil, India, US, UK Russia, Indonesia, Colombia and South Korea. It also researched among 500 respondents each from Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Croatia, Taiwan, Mexico, Netherlands, Sweden, Singapore and Israel.

The online survey was done between June 13 to July 17. Further, it said 71 per cent of travellers care more about their physical appearance while on vacation when compared to staying at home. It also found that 55 per cent of travellers would rather spend their money on their vacation wardrobe than on the trip activities.

"Fashion has become an integral part of our lifestyle today, encompassing all aspects of personal and professional life. This all pervasive nature of fashion has influenced the travel tastes and preferences of the present-day traveller. Increasingly, Indian travellers are now open to experimenting with their vacation choices to express themselves and make fashion statements," Booking.com, India, country manager, Ritu Mehrotra said.

According to the study, two out of every five Indian travellers find packing an exciting part of the trip. Even so, packing the right clothes has been the top travel worry for 56 per cent of respondents. The study also revealed that 69 per cent of Indian travellers pack their vacation wardrobe with focus on social media.

The most common packing mistake often made by travellers is 'packing too much', with 42 per cent of them agreeing to it. A little over half (51 per cent) of the surveyed respondents credited their vacation wardrobe for their confidence.

The study also said two out of every three Indian travellers want to dress better than their companions when on vacation. Moreover, 57 per cent travellers agreed to have opted for brighter and more colourful outfits for their vacations when compared to their casual 'at home' wardrobe, it added.