Airfares on Holi high: Travel firms witness a rise in advance bookings

Travel firms have reported a surge in leisure trips during the Holi week with popular holiday destinations within India as well as short-haul spots, such as Dubai and Singapore, seeing high demand.

The increased demand has reflected in higher fares on popular routes during March 6-12 (Holi week) compared to February 6-12. While online portal ixigo has seen a 30 per cent increase in advance bookings for Holi week, that of tour operator Thomas Cook has risen 15-20 per cent over pre-pandemic levels.

“Jaipur, Goa, Kashmir, Dubai, and Singapore are some of the most booked and searched destinations for the Holi week. Average airfares across popular routes for travel during the week have surged 10-15 per cent month-on-month,” said Aloke Bajpai, co-founder and group CEO, ixigo.