Most Indians, going overseas for a vacation, prefer to consult the web more than their friends and relatives, a Visa survey revealed. According to the Visa Travel Smart Survey, travellers plan their trips around 14 weeks in advance and depend on travel sites more than travel agents and other service providers.

The survey interviewed around 2,226 passengers departing or arriving, aged 18 years and above and where the trip length was at least 48 hours. It found out that most of the people have reduced their dependence on cash and traveller’s cheques while on a vacation abroad. The respondents hailed from Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Travellers also believe that less cash means less risk. Survey finds out that nearly one in two respondents (45 per cent) said that the main reason for using electronic payments cards over cash and traveller’s cheque for transactions overseas was to minimise personal risk. Just 4 per cent of travellers thought cash is safe to carry around. To avoid carrying large amounts of cash, two-thirds (64 per cent) of the respondents prefer accessing cash from an ATM at their arrival destination.

Three-quarters of respondents also said that they preferred to plan and book travel online, the survey findings said. According to the survey, online planning and booking especially favoured by respondents from India (21 per cent) and China (20 per cent), while those from Japan (53 per cent) and South Korea (35 per cent) prefer to check with their friends and relatives.

Brian McGrory, head of debit, for Asia Pacific for Visa, said, “As travellers become more resourceful, they are looking for quick and safe ways to access foreign currency. Using an ATM is a safe and convenient way of doing this.”

snehashah@mydigitalfc.com