Three online travel platforms — MakeMyTrip, Agoda, and Booking.com — released separate reports Tuesday on how Indians are gearing up for the year-end holidays.
Together, they reveal the shifting dynamics of Indian travel preferences. From serene hill stations and vibrant heritage cities to culturally rich international capitals, here’s how Indians are planning to bid farewell to 2024.
Home Sweet Home: The Domestic Travel Surge
Domestic travel continues to be the backbone of Indian tourism, with destinations like Goa, Manali, and Udaipur seeing a surge in demand. Booking.com noted a 40–100% increase in searches for domestic trips compared to last year. Booking’s data highlights how hill stations like Manali, Munnar, Ooty, and Mahabaleshwar, are in high demand.
MakeMyTrip’s data corroborates this trend, highlighting that 40% of the top 20 domestic searches are hill destinations. Mussoorie and Manali, for example, are witnessing double-digit growth in searches. Goa, however, dominates the charts as the most searched destination for New Year celebrations, further cementing its status as India’s holiday favorite.
“Goa continues to dominate as the most popular domestic New Year’s Eve destination, retaining its top spot,” Agoda noted in its insight.
Travelers are eager to extend their holidays, with a significant spike in bookings from December 25, indicating plans to celebrate well into the New Year, MakeMytrip noted.
Passports Out: Jetting Off to Foreign Shores
Indian travelers are increasingly setting their sights on global destinations. Agoda reported a 53% jump in international accommodation searches compared to last year, with Phuket emerging as the most popular destination, replacing Bangkok.
Destinations like Thailand, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan have also been easing visa norms for Indian travelers.
Meanwhile, Booking.com highlighted surges in searches for culturally rich destinations like Baku and Lapland, up more than 120%. Searches for Tbilisi were up 60%.
Traditional hotspots like UAE, Thailand, and UK continue to thrive, but the growing interest in unique experiences signals a shift in preferences. MakeMyTrip noted a 248% growth in searches for Azerbaijan and a 100% increase for Malaysia, with Japan, Turkey, and Vietnam experiencing steady double-digit growth.
“The rise in outbound travel reflects the growing aspirations of Indian travelers,” said Krishna Rathi, senior country director at Agoda.
India’s outbound travel market is projected to reach $55.4 billion by 2034.
While bookings for travel in pairs and family continue to be dominant during the holiday season, solo travel is also gaining traction, especially for international getaways. MakeMyTrip recorded a 34% increase in solo international travel, indicating a growing trend among young Indians seeking independent adventures.
Flying High: Upgrading the Travel Game
A clear trend across all three platforms is the move toward premium travel. MakeMyTrip reported an 80% increase in business-class bookings for international flights and a 27% rise for domestic. Similarly, hotel bookings priced above INR 10,000 surged, making up 57% of overall bookings, compared to 51% last year.
The appetite for luxury experiences isn’t confined to transportation. Year-end holiday packages have also seen a 7% rise in average spending, reflecting a willingness to splurge on curated travel experiences.
“The trend toward premiumization is becoming increasingly pronounced, as travelers are willing to spend more to make their holiday memorable,” said Rajesh Magow, co-founder and group CEO of MakeMyTrip.
Indians spent over $2 billion on international travel in August, as per data from the Indian central bank. In fiscal 2024, overseas travel spending for Indians reached a record $17 billion.
A Collinson report in September revealed that millennials in India are spending an average of $6,031 on travel annually, more than any other generation.
