Year-end travel sees Indians spend on comfort and pilgrimages: Report

Top destinations Indians are booking for year-end travel

This year saw a noticeable shift in travel behaviour of Indians. Booking trends for the year-end and New Year period indicate strong demand for domestic holidays, rising interest in pilgrimage travel, and a growing willingness to spend more on better-quality accommodation.

 

The trends are based on booking data shared by travel booking platform MakeMyTrip for journeys between December 20, 2025 and January 5, 2026, compared with the same period last year.

 

The data suggests that travel is no longer treated as a low-cost break but as a planned expense, with households prioritising comfort and experiences over budget-only choices.

Leisure travel continues to lead

Leisure trips remain the dominant choice during the year-end window, accounting for 77.1 per cent of all bookings, up from 75.3 per cent in the same period last year. Goa, Jaipur, Udaipur, Manali and Jaisalmer continue to attract high demand, while hill destinations such as Munnar, Darjeeling, Ooty and Mussoorie remain popular winter escapes.

 

At the package level, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andaman and Tamil Nadu are the most booked domestic holiday circuits, indicating that travellers prefer bundled itineraries that simplify planning during peak periods.

Pilgrimage travel gains ground

 

Alongside leisure trips, pilgrimage travel is emerging as a key year-end trend. Spiritual journeys now account for nearly 23 per cent of total bookings, reflecting how travellers are using the holiday window for faith-based travel.

 

Destinations such as Puri, Varanasi, Madurai, Rameshwaram, Amritsar, Ayodhya, Ujjain, Dwarka, Udupi and Tirupati are witnessing strong interest. Many travellers are combining temple visits with nearby leisure stays, which increases both travel duration and overall spending.

Higher spending on accommodation

A clear personal finance trend is the shift towards premium stays. The share of hotel and homestay bookings in the ~2,500-5,000 per night range has moderated, while the ~5,000– ~7,500 segment has gained share.

 

This points to travellers prioritising comfort, better locations and upgraded amenities, even at a higher cost. For households, this reflects a conscious decision to allocate more of the travel budget to accommodation quality.

Short-haul international travel remains strong

 

International travel demand continues to be driven by nearby destinations. Thailand has emerged as the most booked overseas destination for the New Year period, overtaking the UAE. Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore also feature among the top choices.

 

Vietnam has seen a sharp rise in interest compared with last year, aided by easier visa access and growing awareness among Indian travellers.

What this means for travel budgets

Overall, year-end travel in 2025 reflects a more confident and experience-driven Indian traveller. While this improves travel quality, higher spending on stays and packaged holidays means households need to plan budgets carefully to avoid post-holiday financial strain.

 

“Indian travellers are increasingly willing to upgrade their stays and combine leisure holidays with spiritually enriching journeys during the year-end period,” said Rajesh Magow, co-founder and group chief executive officer at MakeMyTrip.