Demand for intercity bus travel rises 10 pc, supply jumps 28 pc during Diwali this year: Report

Positive travel sentiments are foreseen during the upcoming festivals also, it stated.In Diwali 2021, demand and supply have increased 10 per cent and 28 per cent respectively, which resulted in a 19 per cent increase in revenue per trip, said the report.It added that the top-performing routes in Diwali week were Ahmedabad-Delhi and Delhi-Varanasi, which have improved their revenue per trip by 23 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively, this Diwali as compared with 2020.Additionally, during the Diwali period, people are travelling more to holiday destinations compared to business and pilgrim routes.

The demand for intercity bus travel increased 10 per cent while the supply jumped 28 per cent year-on-year during Diwali this year, as the pandemic-hit travel industry bounces back on the back of increased vaccination and people booking for holidays, according to a report released on Tuesday.

During Dussehra also, which was celebrated on October 15, supply or the total number of trips in pan-India saw a 20 per cent year-on-year jump as compared to Dussehra of 2020, according to the report by Sciative, a deep-tech start-up that specialises in AI-powered automated price optimisation solutions.

It resulted in a 31 per cent increase in revenue per trip, the report said.

Bus occupancy on the top routes has increased 17 per cent in Dussehra 2021 compared to 2020, which helped bus operators to capitalise on prices this Dussehra, it said.

The report analysed the trends in the intercity bus industry during Dussehra and Diwali in 2021 compared to 2020.

The findings suggest an improvement in sentiments toward travel in the minds of travellers. Positive travel sentiments are foreseen during the upcoming festivals also, it stated.

In Diwali 2021, demand and supply have increased 10 per cent and 28 per cent respectively, which resulted in a 19 per cent increase in revenue per trip, said the report.

It added that the top-performing routes in Diwali week were Ahmedabad-Delhi and Delhi-Varanasi, which have improved their revenue per trip by 23 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively, this Diwali as compared with 2020.

Additionally, during the Diwali period, people are travelling more to holiday destinations compared to business and pilgrim routes. Revenue per trip for holiday destinations has increased 41 per cent and supply in the market has also increased 58 per cent, according to Sciative.

As a result, the average selling price (ASP) for holiday routes has increased 35 per cent during 2021. On the other hand, business and pilgrim routes witnessed a hike in ASP by 17 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively.

It added that the travel industry is getting back on track as higher revenue contribution is seen from 24 cities such as Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chandigarh and Dehradun, including the top 55 routes in the country.

These routes are segregated into business, pilgrim and holiday.

The best performing routes in Dussehra for both years, according to the report, were Gorakhpur-Delhi and Ahmedabad-Delhi. They have increased the revenue per trip by 11 per cent and 36 per cent in 2021 compared to 2020, it said.

Apart from this, the other top performing routes during the Dussehra festival were Ahmedabad-Hyderabad, Bengaluru-Vijayawada and Hyderabad-Bengaluru based on the revenue generated.

Sciative founder Managing Director Anshu Jalora said, ''The findings of the report demonstrate the positive behaviour of people towards travel after the pandemic. Travellers have accepted the 'new normal' and are gradually moving towards their routine travelling patterns. This new trend in demand has opened up several opportunities for the travel industry.'' According to the analysis, AC Sleeper is the most preferred bus type on business, holiday and pilgrim routes for both festivals in 2020-21.

Supply for AC-sleeper on business routes has increased 21 per cent, 150 per cent for holiday routes and 325 per cent for pilgrim routes in Dussehra 2021. Spike in the supply is because of a huge lift in demand, which can be seen in the revenue per trip, and has increased 42 per cent for the business route, 25 per cent for the holiday route and 9 per cent for pilgrim routes.

As for Diwali 2021, for the business route, revenue per trip increased 37 per cent, for the holiday route 52 per cent and pilgrim routes 25 per cent, for AC Sleeper bus, it stated.

The selling price of AC sleeper buses for the pilgrim route is lower than for business and holiday routes for Diwali and Dussehra periods, the report said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)