Indian travellers seize opportunity for extended break with Holi & Good Friday coincidence, ET TravelWorld

As the Holi and Good Friday festivals coincide in March, Indian travellers have a great opportunity to enjoy a longer break. This year, Holi falls on March 25, and Good Friday is on March 29, giving people a shorter workweek to enjoy a longer leisure time without using up too much annual leave.

Many travellers are taking three days off to extend the holiday to nine days, thanks to the unique opportunity of Holi and Good Friday falling in the same week. According to various travel agencies and online portals, there has been a huge surge in demand, with close to 350 per cent increase in both domestic and international travel for the extended Holi weekend compared to last year.

Skyscanner’s Travel Trends 2024 report found that 63 per cent of Indian travellers plan to spend more on travel in 2024 than they did in 2023. This is evident from the bookings for destinations like New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore in March 2024, which have already surpassed 75 per cent of the bookings recorded for March 2023, even though it is only mid-month. This suggests that this travel season is expected to be more robust than the previous Holi festival.

A growing trend in travel is the search for holidays that offer cultural immersion and spiritual connection.

Indians travellers are seeking a diverse range of experiences during their leisure time, from exploring vibrant cities to soaking in cultural festivities. According to data from Booking.com, some of the most searched leisure destinations, besides popular metros, include Udaipur, Jaipur, Goa, Lonavala, and Manali.

Furthermore, spiritual destinations are gaining popularity, with Vrindavan, known for its Holi celebrations, emerging as one of the top five most searched destinations in India. Other popular destinations include Rishikesh, Puri, and Varanasi.

For international travel, the announcements of visa-free entry has been a game-changer for destinations like Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand, resulting in a significant uplift of approx. 35 per cent. Sri Lanka has seem maximum benefit with demand up by 40 per cent, followed by Malaysia at 35 per cent and Thailand at over 30 per cent.

Higher spends
Indians are spending 25 per cent higher this Holi compared to last year.

Airfare trends
Fueled by this growing demand in 2024, airfares have risen slightly by 12 per cent on the Mumbai to Delhi route and by 17 per cent on the Bangalore to Delhi route compared to the week of Holi in 2023. Similarly, for travellers flying from Delhi to Bangalore, airfares have surged by 16 per cent as opposed to the same time last year. That said, prices are not all rising at the same time, airfares on the Delhi to Mumbai route for example had a drop of 12 per cent in price when comparing airfares for the week of 11 March versus 18 March.

On the other hand, there has been a 6-10 per cent drop in airfares (compared to Holi last year) for domestic favourites like Srinagar, Chandigarh, Andamans, Bagdogra, Goa and Jaipur from hubs like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kochi. In the subcontinent, airfares to Kathmandu and Colombo have witnessed a drop of approx. 5 per cent – inspiring an uplift in air travel.

According to data shared by EaseMyTrip, there has been an impressive surge of around 190 per cent is noted in the Delhi-Goa, while the Mumbai-Lucknow route has seen an uptick of approximately 30 per cent. Despite a rise in airfares by 10-15 per cent, a 2.5 times surge in searches for the long weekend has been observed, compared to previous years.

“We have seen a 46 per cent YoY increase in flight searches for Holi travel this year. Domestic fares for popular routes have shot up 25-30 per cent in the last week of March as travellers are making most of the back to back long weekend on account of Holi and Good Friday holiday. International travel is also picking up with Dubai, Singapore, Bali & Bangkok emerging as traveller favourites this Holi,” said Aloke Bajpai, Chairman, Managing Director and Group CEO, ixigo.

Destination trends
Digital travel platform Agoda analysed its search data and found Dubai on top as the favorite international travel spot. Domestically, Goa is the most popular destination searched for Holi and Good Friday.

For those planning an international getaway, nearby Dubai is the most popular destination, with Singapore coming in second spot. Thailand’s visa waiver policy likely helps it secure two of the top five most popular spots for travel with Bangkok number three and Phuket fifth. Bali (Indonesia) is the fourth most popular international destination for the Holi and Good Friday break.

“As Holi and Good Friday long weekends approach, leisure bookings are on the rise. The top domestic flight destinations at MakeMyTrip are Goa, Srinagar, Guwahati, Port Blair, and Bagdogra. Popular hotel destinations include Udaipur, Jaipur, Puri, and Varanasi. Premium bookings are higher than usual by close to 10 per cent. Internationally, short-haul favorites include UAE, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia, while top long-haul destinations are the UK, USA, Australia, Japan, and Germany. Hotel bookings for religious destinations such as Puri, Varanasi, and Amritsar have doubled since last year, emerging as the second most preferred category after beaches,” said Rajesh Magow, Co-founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip.

“The spike in demand is primarily fueled by individuals travelling from metro areas to their hometowns in Tier II and III cities. We anticipate a surge in bookings for destinations such as Goa, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Jaipur, Mathura, Vrindavan, Varanasi, and Amritsar,” mentioned Nishant Pitti, CEO and Co-Founder, EaseMyTrip.

According to data from Airbnb, South Goa has emerged as the top Indian domestic destination with a nearly 330 per cent increase in searches for stays for the upcoming long weekend, highlighting its appeal as the preferred beach destination. Additionally, the cultural allure of Varanasi, Jaipur, and Pondicherry as well as popular hill stations like Mussoorie, Ooty and Manali are also driving diversified interest for short getaways during the upcoming long weekend.

On the international front, Athens leads the way with an approximately 400 per centspike in searches, earning its place at the top of the wishlist for Indian explorers, closely followed by Istanbul, Bangkok, and Rome. These cities represent a blend of historical richness and cultural vibrancy that resonates deeply with Indian travellers.

Krishna Rathi, Senior Country Director India Subcontinent and Maldives at Agoda, stated, “The consecutive long weekends for Holi and Good Friday provide a unique window for Indians to plan extended trips. Whether people are looking to explore India or abroad, it’s a great opportunity to whet the travel appetite among Indians, which has only increased since the recent waiver of visa requirements. As more Indians look to expand their horizons, Agoda is committed to offering great value deals on accommodations, flights, and activities at home and abroad to help them see the world for less.”

“With Indians becoming increasingly savvy with their travel planning, it is not surprising that travel enthusiasts are seizing the upcoming extended break for Holi and Good Friday to jet off to nearby destinations. As a result, cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore are stealing the spotlight as prime hubs with Kolkata, Goa and Hyderabad following closely behind. Many are also making the most of the long weekend by flying to international hotspots like Dubai, London, and Bangkok,” said Mohit Joshi, Travel & Destination Expert at Skyscanner.

Drivecations: uptick of 25 per cent in closer to home/drivable destinations with increased length of stay from 3-4 days to 5-7 day. Travellers in/around Delhi are opting for destinations including Naukuchiatal, Munsiyari, Kangra, Kanatal, Kausani, Ranikhet, Mukteshwar; Bhandardara, Amboli, Sindhudurg, Kolad, Kamshet, Harnai-Anjarle, Saputara, Silvassa, Saputara for customers in Maharashtra & Gujarat; Hampi, Gokarna, Coorg, Puducherry, Kanyakumari for customers in Karnataka/Tamil Nadu.

Outdoor Adventure: 30 per cent increase in interest for outdoor and adventure travel with biking trips in Srinagar – Leh – Manali, Manali to Spiti Valley, Jaipur-Jodhpur-Jaisalmer. White water rafting in Rishikesh, Leh-Ladakh, Uttarakhand. Paragliding in Shillong, Gangtok. Camping in Jaisalmer, Kullu, Chopta. Trekking in Sikkim, Coorg, Mcleodganj. Snowboarding in Auli Pahalgam and Sethan. Safari in Pench, Kanha, Corbett, Ranthambore.

Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook India said, “This year, we are witnessing a significant demand uptick of 5x vs last year and increased spends of 25 per cent; more so given the longer duration of two weekends. In addition to celebrating Holi, our segments across Young India, families, and ad-hoc groups of friends are looking to explore destinations within the country; also shirt haul international options.”

Daniel D’souza, President & Country Head, SOTC Travel said, “The upcoming Holi week combined with the subsequent Easter weekend offers strong potential for a week long vacation, and our data indicates surge from not only from metros and mini-metros, but also our Regional tier 2 and 3 cities. What is noteworthy is that we are seeing a surge in air-inclusive holidays fuelled by the dip in airfares over the extended week/weekend; drivecations too are seeing a brisk business.”