On Valentine's Day 2023, the most OYO rooms were booked in - drumroll - Vrindavan!
Not a trip to the mountains, not a seaside getaway. Not even a metro city. The most booked Valentine’s Day destination in India is most certainly fulfilling some bovine fantasies.
Valentine's Day has evolved from a simple gift-giving tradition to a somewhat grand celebration of love, with people travelling far and wide in celebration. However, the latest reports from the popular hospitality chain, OYO, have revealed that perhaps the grandest gesture of love warrants travelling not quite as far and wide.
In the latest report by OYO, the most popular destination for lovebirds, clocking in a staggering 231% YoY growth in bookings this Valentine’s Day is… *drumroll*...
Vrindavan!
Move over, Goa and Manali. It appears that Indians now prefer spending quality time with their beloved amongst the tranquility of the cows, rather than at a beach or the hills.
Why waste money on exotic destinations when one can explore the picturesque narrow streets of Vrindavan where the cows clearly seem to outnumber the people? Who needs the tiring romanticism of sweet-smelling flowers when the very air is tinged with the lovely aromas of cow dung? What is a trek up the hills or a walk on the beach in the face of a romantic stroll down the Yamuna river, where the Chernobyl-like water will remind you of the struggles of love?
Astonishing numbers
The demand for travel during Valentine's Day week is at an all-time high, with a nearly 35% increase in bookings this year despite it being a weekday. Since Valentine’s Day falls on a Tuesday this year, booking trends indicate that consumers were keen on combining the weekend with Valentine’s Day to head out on a holiday.
These trends are not entirely surprising, as Oyo witnessed a similar record-breaking surge in demand during the Republic Day week.
With around 75% of bookings, Goa was the most preferred destination on 26th January 2023, and was soon replaced by a whopping 231% increase in bookings for Vrindavan in February.
This was followed by:
- Bangalore (51%),
- Hyderabad (47%),
- Pune (45%), Kolkata (38%),
- Chennai (35%), and
- Mumbai (19%).
Some more insights from the study by Oyo:
This year, it appears that travellers have a preference for hill stations over beach destinations, with a whopping 147% increase compared to last year.
In addition, people are opting for longer trips, with an average duration of stay of 4 days in 2023, compared to 2 days in 2022. This indicates that people are more interested in extended getaways rather than short staycations, which was a popular trend during the early post-pandemic period. (You can see the 2023 Long Weekend Calendar here)
It seems that Vrindavan offers some kind of an overwhelmingly romantic experience that other destinations could just not live up to. Love seems to ripen the air (or is that the smell of cow dung?). Either way, Vrindavan is clearly the place to be.
Jokes apart, this is what Vrindavan is actually famous for: it is believed that Lord Krishna grew up in Vrindavan. There are many temples dedicated to Krishna in this holy town.
Bonus: It is also a stone's throw from Delhi; so it kind of makes sense why people would want to visit Vrindavan on Valentine's Day - given that V-Day this year is a Tuesday.
Maybe the Department of Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairying was not that wrong when they said February 14 should be... you know, Cow Hug Day; and later retracted it!