High Demand For Spiritual Hubs, Short-haul Trips: Travel

Leisure travel demand gushes for the upcoming Holi weekend. With bookings up for cultural hubs and short-haul international destinations. Premium stays and destinations like Jaipur, Udaipur, and popular beach spots are rising. Short-haul international travel to places like Vietnam and Abu Dhabi also sees significant growth. Flight bookings are firm, driven by homebound travel and spiritual tourism.

According to data from online travel platforms, leisure getaways are experiencing high demand for this Holi as bookings surge for spiritual and cultural hubs in the country and short-haul destinations internationally. "Indian travellers are increasingly seizing every opportunity for leisure travel, and the upcoming Holi long weekend is the perfect occasion. The demand for premium stays remains strong with the booking share of properties priced above INR 4,500 per night rising compared to last year," MakeMyTrip co-founder and Group CEO Rajesh Magow said.

He referred to the data from the travel portal. He said that bookings for accommodations in cultural hubs like Jaipur and Udaipur, temple towns like Amritsar, Varanasi, Ujjain, and Madurai, and beach destinations like Pondicherry, Alibaug, and Mandarmani show steady growth.

As per the MakeMyTrip data drive, cation destinations such as Jim Corbett, Rishikesh, Mussoorie, Mahabaleshwar, and Coorg are also experiencing strong demand. "Internationally, we observe the highest growth in short-haul destinations like Vietnam, Malaysia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The increase in short-haul travel can be partly attributed to the conclusion of board exams in many parts of India," he added. Meanwhile, Ixigo Group co-CEO Rajnish Kumar said this Holi season has an average 45-50 per cent year-on-year increase in flight bookings driven by a mix of homebound travel, leisure getaways, and spiritual tourism.

"Cultural host spots are witnessing a surge in demand for this Holi. Flight bookings to Ayodhya have skyrocketed by 50% YoY for Holi, while Varanasi and Amritsar have seen a 20-30% YoY increase. Tier II and III cities are witnessing a surge in flight bookings for the Holi weekend, with Gorakhpur seeing the highest increase at 154 per cent year on year," he said, quoting data from the Ixigo platform.

With airlines rolling out attractive discounts, he noted that it is an excellent opportunity for travellers to book their trips at affordable fares. Travellers are also making the most of the long weekend in Holi to visit short-haul international destinations such as Abu Dhabi, which is witnessing a 146 per cent year-on-year rise, followed by Bangkok and Singapore at 38 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively.  

"Among domestic leisure getaways, Andaman and Nicobar Islands have emerged as the top pick for travellers this Holi," Kumar added.

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