New Delhi: Many Indians are trading crackers and sweets for boarding passes and short getaways this Diwali, with travel and accommodation providers reporting a sharp uptick in bookings for short-haul international holidays and luxury domestic escapes.
“This year’s Diwali is shaping up to be one of the biggest festive travel seasons we’ve seen in recent years,” said Abhishek Daga, cofounder at travel platform Thrillophilia.
“Outbound travel is seeing the strongest surge, up by 24% year-on-year, especially to short-haul Asia-Pacific destinations such as Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam, which have become the new Goa for many Indian families,” he said.
Domestically, Jaipur, Udaipur and Jaisalmer are seeing some of the highest advance bookings ever, he said.
Holiday booking platform Pickyourtrail’s cofounder Hari Ganapathy said Gen Z and millennials are driving the rush.
“The festival of lights has turned into a festival of journeys,” he said. “Couples are picking romantic breaks, families are using the holiday for quality time, and groups of friends are chasing shared adventures.”
According to Ganapathy, leisure travel is making up 46% of festive trips, with Vietnam stealing the spotlight. Bengaluru, Chennai, and Delhi are leading the bookings, he added.
SOTC Travel said it has partnered with Disney Cruise Line for exclusive sailings from Australia-New Zealand, as cruises gain popularity.
“We have designed our Diwali festive packages curated specially for families and multi-generational groups,” said SD Nandakumar, president and country head for holidays and corporate tours at SOTC Travel. “We are seeing interest not only from India’s metros, but also from regional India’s tier-2 and -3 markets, reflecting a strong, nationwide aspiration to travel.”
Spiritual Tourism Trend
According to him, spiritual tourism is a strong trend this festive season, with a spike in bookings to destinations like Kashi, Ayodhya, Rameswaram, Tirupati, Amritsar, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Dwarka, Bodh Gaya and Sri Lanka.
Many are opting for special themed tours, such as ‘ Ramayan Anant Yatra’ and ‘Ramayan Trails’ in Sri Lanka, with VIP darshans with guided tour managers, Ganga-aarti in Rishikesh and Varanasi, and Deepotsav celebration in Ayodhya, Nandakumar said.
Industry insiders said travellers are planning early and spending more.
“What’s really interesting is how people are travelling, not just how many,” Thrillophilia’s Daga said. “Travellers are planning earlier, choosing shorter but smarter getaways. What we call the ‘smart luxury’ trend: high-quality, well-curated breaks that balance comfort, experience, and value.” He said Diwali bookings started coming in by mid-September, and the average spend has also gone up from around ₹25,000 to ₹45,000 for domestic trips and from ₹60,000 to ₹95,000 for short-haul international holidays.
“Travellers are spending more, but they’re also spending smarter, opting for experience-led travel: sunset desert safaris, yacht cruises, hot air balloon rides, or vineyard picnics,” Daga said.
Airfares soar
Manjari Singhal, chief growth and business officer at Cleartrip, said average airfares increased by 36% prior to the pre-festive period, with some routes like Bengaluru to Kanpur soaring up to ₹40,000 one way.
“Flight bookings are up by over 28%, with Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Pune emerging as the busiest routes,” she said. “On the international front, destinations like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi, Bangkok, Bali, Karratha, and Kuala Lumpur continue to top travellers’ wish lists.”
“This year’s Diwali is shaping up to be one of the biggest festive travel seasons we’ve seen in recent years,” said Abhishek Daga, cofounder at travel platform Thrillophilia.
“Outbound travel is seeing the strongest surge, up by 24% year-on-year, especially to short-haul Asia-Pacific destinations such as Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam, which have become the new Goa for many Indian families,” he said.
Domestically, Jaipur, Udaipur and Jaisalmer are seeing some of the highest advance bookings ever, he said.
Holiday booking platform Pickyourtrail’s cofounder Hari Ganapathy said Gen Z and millennials are driving the rush.
“The festival of lights has turned into a festival of journeys,” he said. “Couples are picking romantic breaks, families are using the holiday for quality time, and groups of friends are chasing shared adventures.”
According to Ganapathy, leisure travel is making up 46% of festive trips, with Vietnam stealing the spotlight. Bengaluru, Chennai, and Delhi are leading the bookings, he added.
SOTC Travel said it has partnered with Disney Cruise Line for exclusive sailings from Australia-New Zealand, as cruises gain popularity.
“We have designed our Diwali festive packages curated specially for families and multi-generational groups,” said SD Nandakumar, president and country head for holidays and corporate tours at SOTC Travel. “We are seeing interest not only from India’s metros, but also from regional India’s tier-2 and -3 markets, reflecting a strong, nationwide aspiration to travel.”
Spiritual Tourism Trend
According to him, spiritual tourism is a strong trend this festive season, with a spike in bookings to destinations like Kashi, Ayodhya, Rameswaram, Tirupati, Amritsar, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Dwarka, Bodh Gaya and Sri Lanka.
Many are opting for special themed tours, such as ‘ Ramayan Anant Yatra’ and ‘Ramayan Trails’ in Sri Lanka, with VIP darshans with guided tour managers, Ganga-aarti in Rishikesh and Varanasi, and Deepotsav celebration in Ayodhya, Nandakumar said.
Industry insiders said travellers are planning early and spending more.
“What’s really interesting is how people are travelling, not just how many,” Thrillophilia’s Daga said. “Travellers are planning earlier, choosing shorter but smarter getaways. What we call the ‘smart luxury’ trend: high-quality, well-curated breaks that balance comfort, experience, and value.” He said Diwali bookings started coming in by mid-September, and the average spend has also gone up from around ₹25,000 to ₹45,000 for domestic trips and from ₹60,000 to ₹95,000 for short-haul international holidays.
“Travellers are spending more, but they’re also spending smarter, opting for experience-led travel: sunset desert safaris, yacht cruises, hot air balloon rides, or vineyard picnics,” Daga said.
Airfares soar
Manjari Singhal, chief growth and business officer at Cleartrip, said average airfares increased by 36% prior to the pre-festive period, with some routes like Bengaluru to Kanpur soaring up to ₹40,000 one way.
“Flight bookings are up by over 28%, with Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Pune emerging as the busiest routes,” she said. “On the international front, destinations like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi, Bangkok, Bali, Karratha, and Kuala Lumpur continue to top travellers’ wish lists.”
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