Explore, savour and enjoy: Booking.com’s Connected Trip Experience with Bollywood Actors Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal

Today, Indian travellers are craving more than just sightseeing, they are seeking immersive and unique experiences such as cultural events (25%), music festivals or concerts (22%) and sporting events (17%) amongst others. They are also looking at seamlessly planning and booking every aspect of their journey in one place, eliminating the need to navigate multiple websites and platforms (40%). Booking.com, one of the world’s leading online travel companies, is addressing this need by orchestrating the best traveller experience and aims to make every trip a connected trip.

Cooking up a storm with Booking.com

At the ‘The Connected Trip: A Culinary Experience’ event on September 12, 2024, popular Bollywood couple Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal teamed up with Santosh Kumar, Country Manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia at Booking.com to enjoy a guided cooking experience, highlighting one of many exciting experiences and attractions available on Booking.com.

With nearly half (48%) of the Indian travellers choosing a destination to indulge in local cuisines, the event was a perfect blend of travel, food and memorable experiences. Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal shared their food inspired travel stories while learning to prepare their favourite avocado and cucumber sushi and sattu ka paratha with eggplant and tomato chutney, a delicacy from Bihar reflecting on their local and global adventures and childhood memories. The event illustrated how Booking.com connects travellers with diverse, authentic and immersive experiences based on their needs and preferences.

Bollywood actor Sonakshi Sinha commented, “Travel is my passion. I love immersing myself in the destination’s culture,  exploring the local markets and of course relishing the local cuisine. But planning is a bit of a headache. Juggling flights, accommodations and activities can be overwhelming. Thankfully, Booking.com has simplified this and travellers can now book various elements of their trip on one platform and enjoy a stress free holiday.”

Adding to this, Bollywood actor Zaheer Iqbal said, “Food is integral to India’s culture. It has the power to unite people from all over the world. As someone who loves exploring local cuisines whenever I travel, I’m excited to be a part of this event showcasing Booking.com immersive experiences for Indian travellers. Travellers can easily book attractions like sushi making class in Japan or exploring Kolkata’s street food scene – everything in the palm of their hand.”

The connected journey: more than just travel

Booking.com empowers Indian travellers to seamlessly plan and book all key aspects of their journey on the Booking.com platform, eliminating the need to navigate multiple websites and apps. From finding the right flight to booking the perfect stay, travellers can craft their ideal itinerary with ease. Additionally, options for car rentals, private airport transfers and a vast selection of exciting local activities are all  readily available in one place, to create a frictionless travel experience.

Santosh Kumar, Country Manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia at Booking.com, said, “Today travellers are looking for seamless trip planning and travel experiences where they can book multiple aspects of their trip on one platform. At Booking.com, we are dedicated to eliminating friction in travel by continuously innovating to address their evolving needs. The Connected Trip vision embodies this commitment by offering multiple travel elements on one platform, creating a convenient, easy and flexible travel experience before, during and after the trip. We are excited to have partnered with Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal to showcase how travellers can easily book just about every element of their trip on Booking.com – whether it’s renting a car, enrolling for a cooking class or booking an airport taxi – and easily create a travel experience.”