Premium stays and solo escapes among India's year-end travel trends: Report

Goa, UAE shine as top domestic and international travel destination for Indians this season, with more people opting for holiday packages, reveals MakeMyTrip report

Increased searches for both domestic and international travel, a growing preference for premium travel options, and a sharp rise in solo international trips are among the top travel trends among Indians during the year-end holiday season (December 16-31), a report by MakeMyTrip revealed on Tuesday.

 

While Goa continues to take the top spot as the most sought after domestic travel destination, many hill stations are also seeing interest from travelers. Here is a closer look at significant trends emerging across destinations, travel habits, and spending patterns during this festive season.

 

Goa, Mumbai, Udaipur top domestic travel searches

Domestic travel remains dominant, with the top 20 cities accounting for 40 per cent of all searches. Goa continues to lead as the most sought-after destination, followed by Mumbai and Udaipur.

   

Manali, Mussoorie, and Shimla also witnessed double-digit growth in searches and hill stations across North and South India made up 40 per cent of overall domestic searches on the platform. Southern favourites included hill stations such as Munnar, Ooty, and Coorg.

 

This highlights a shift in preferences towards colder locations during the festive season, a trend normally seen more during summers.

 

Top 20 domestic destinations

 

Goa

Mumbai

Udaipur

Delhi

Jaipur

Manali

Puri

Bangalore

Munnar

Varanasi

Lonavala

Mahabaleshwar

Hyderabad

Ooty

Jaisalmer

Kolkata

Coorg

Mussoorie

Puducherry

Shimla

 

Azerbaijan and Turkey join top international destinations

 

On the international front, countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia dominate travellers’ interest. Western long-haul destinations such as the USA, UK, and Australia remain prominent, while emerging choices include Azerbaijan and Turkey.

 

The top 20 destinations made up 83 per cent of international travel searches, with the UAE, Thailand, and Singapore emerging as favourites. Canada and the Maldives stood out for a decline in interest this year.

 

Top 20 international destinations

 

UAE

Thailand

Singapore

Indonesia

Malaysia

USA

Vietnam

UK

Sri Lanka

Australia

Canada

Nepal

Maldives

Saudi Arabia

Azerbaijan

France

Japan

Hong Kong

Turkey

Qatar

 

Solo, family, and extended getaways: New travel trend

 

The report noted that travellers are planning longer holidays this year. While the Saturday before Christmas (December 21) remains the most popular travel date, searches for hotel stays spike again from December 25, suggesting plans to extend breaks until New Year’s Day.

 

Travelling in pairs and with families continues to be the most common booking trend, but solo international travel has seen a remarkable growth, increasing by 34 per cent compared to the same period last year.

 

Luxe stays, premium travel: Top choice for Indians

 

Premium travel options are gaining popularity among Indian travellers, with business class flight bookings having grown by 50 per cent year-on-year. International business class flight bookings grew by 80 per cent, while domestic business class bookings have also seen a 27 per cent rise.

 

Premiumisation was not just limited to travel, but also accommodation. For domestic hotel bookings, the share of stays priced above Rs 10,000 saw a modest growth of two percentage points to 22 per cent, up from 20 per cent last year. Internationally, travellers spending more than Rs 10,000 per night accounted for 57 per cent of bookings, compared to 51 per cent in 2023.

 

Holiday packages and rise in spending

Bookings for holiday packages also registered double-digit growth this season with average spending on year-end packages increasing by 7 per cent compared to last year.

 

Domestically, popular package destinations include Andaman, Kerala, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, and Kashmir.

 

On the international front, Dubai, Thailand, Singapore, Maldives, and Bali are the top choices.