Raksha Bandhan & Independence Day Fuel Travel Boom

Holiday Demand Surges for the Hospitality Industry

Travel and hospitality service providers are observing a significant increase in interest in travel as Indian tourists get ready for Independence Day and the long weekend surrounding Raksha Bandhan. The top domestic travel destinations, such as Goa, Udaipur, Mumbai, and Lonavala, are starting to emerge.

As per the internet travel operator MakeMyTrip and the accommodation website Airbnb, Indian travellers also plan international trips, with Bangkok, Singapore, Phuket, Dubai, Bali, Pattaya, and Colombo among their destinations. “We are seeing a notable spike in reservations in every area, including domestic travel, hotels, and flights.

Co-founder and group CEO of MakeMyTrip Rajesh Magow stated, “The five-day holiday bonanza, enhanced by the festival of Rakhi falling closer to Independence Day weekend compared to last year, has contributed significantly.” He added that, generally, the weather is causing a decline in interest in hill locations in the north and a significant increase in cities in the south.

Similarly, as India got ready for Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan’s long weekend, Airbnb reported a notable spike in interest in travel in its most recent search statistics. “Domestic searches for Airbnb stays increased by approximately 34% year over year during the Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan long weekend,” the research said.

According to the Airbnb survey, the most popular domestic travel destinations were Goa, Lonavala, Puducherry, Mumbai, Bengaluru, New Delhi, and Udaipur. On the other hand, local destinations such as Pondicherry, Mahabaleshwar, Chikmagalur, Munnar, Ooty, Coorg, Udaipur, Varanasi, Amritsar, and Mandarmani are experiencing the most increase in demand.

“The data highlights an increasing tendency among Indian tourists to investigate local locations during brief getaways and extended weekends due to their convenient accessibility,” stated Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager of Airbnb for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

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