Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day holidays boost travel demand; hospitality industry witnesses rise in demand

As Indian travellers prepare for the Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan long weekend, travel and hospitality service providers are witnessing a major rise in interest in travel, with Goa, Udaipur, Mumbai and Lonavala emerging as the top domestic destinations.

According to online travel agency MakeMyTrip and lodging website Airbnb, Indian tourists are also organising overseas travel, with destinations including Bangkok, Singapore, Phuket, Dubai, Bali, Pattaya and Colombo. “We are observing a significant increase in bookings across all sectors, from domestic flights and hotels to international travel. The five-day holiday bonanza, enhanced by the festival of Rakhi falling closer to Independence Day weekend compared to last year, has contributed significantly,” MakeMyTrip CoFounder and Group CEO, Rajesh Magow said. He further said that overall there is a significant growth in the southern cities and lower interest in hill stations in the north due to the weather conditions.

Similarly, Airbnb reported that a significant surge in travel interest was seen in its most recent search statistics as India prepared for the Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan long weekend. “During the Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan long weekend, domestic searches for Airbnb stays increased by approximately 34 per cent year over year,” the report stated. 

As per the Airbnb report, Goa, Lonavala, Puducherry, Mumbai, Bengaluru, New Delhi, and Udaipur were among the most popular domestic destinations. Conversely, Pondicherry, Mahabaleshwar, Chikmagalur, Munnar, Ooty, Coorg, Udaipur, Varanasi, Amritsar, and Mandarmani are the domestic locations that are seeing the greatest surge in demand, according to MakeMyTrip. 

“The statistics underscores a growing trend among Indian travellers to explore domestic destinations during short breaks and long weekends as they are easily accessible,” said Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager of Airbnb for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Bangkok, Singapore, Phuket, Dubai, Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Pattaya, London, New York, and Colombo are the most popular international travel destinations, according to MakeMyTrip, while the cities with the fastest demand growth are Colombo, Kathmandu, Langkawi, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Istanbul, Pattaya, Zurich, Ho Chi Minh City, and Abu Dhabi. 

(with inputs from PTI)