Lonavala to Phuket: Indians turn I-Day, Raksha Bandhan holidays into a five-day getaway, boost travel demand

Top outbound destinations for the upcoming weekend include Bangkok, Kuwait, Kathmandu, Singapore, Bali and Dubai, according to the search numbers on travel platforms.

From driving down to Lonavala to flying to Phuket, Indians are taking their Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan celebrations to scenic and exotic locales this year, turning the upcoming long weekend into a perfect five-day escape.

Over 15,000 air bookings have been made for the long weekend from August 15 to 20, marking a 37 percent increase compared to a typical weekend, according to travel platform Cleartrip.

This year, Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan have aligned to create a five-day extended weekend, leading Indian travellers to plan short getaways enthusiastically, said Rikant Pittie, Co-founder, EaseMyTrip.

“We saw our searches on flights went to 2X from last year's Independence Day. The top five destinations booked during this period are Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Coorg and Goa, with average airfares ranging from Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000,” he added.

Popular spots like Bali, Thailand, Kuwait, and Singapore have seen a 60-70 percent YoY increase in bookings, while new trending short haul destinations like Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Vietnam are emerging as favoured picks among Indian travellers, said Aloke Bajpai, Chairman, Managing Director & Group CEO, Ixigo.

Spiritual Destinations

Airports brace for record traffic

A combination of massive discounts by domestic airlines with IndiGo launching its highest price cut in the last 12 months and the long weekend plans is expected to boost ticket sales for domestic airlines with daily average air passenger traffic expected to cross the 4.75 lakh level on August 14 and August 19.

"Airports have been warned to prepare for extremely high air passenger traffic as a combination of flight restriction on August 15 coupled with rain delays is expected to drive up air passenger traffic on August 14 and 19," a senior official in the Ministry of Civil Aviation told Moneycontrol.

Domestic air traffic touched a new single-day high of 4,71,751 passengers in April 22, 2024, but the air passenger traffic is expected to cross these levels on the coming weekend.

Travel tech platform Ixigo recorded a 40-50 percent year-on-year (YoY) increase in flight bookings for travel between August 14 and 20. Domestic destinations like Dehradun, Mumbai, and Goa registered a 40-45 percent YoY growth in bookings and searches. Average airfares for the upcoming weekend are trending 25-30 percent higher driven by demand.

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has issued an advisory for passengers travelling between August 15 and August 20, urging them to plan ahead due to heightened security measures in place for Independence Day.

The airport authorities have increased security protocols as part of a nationwide effort to ensure safety during the celebrations.

A senior executive from India's largest domestic airline IndiGo also told Moneycontrol that the airline is expected to operate at around 92-95 percent passenger load factor during August 14-20 with a surge in bookings across not just metro routes but also Tier II and III cities.

"While metro routes are expected to see around a 15 percent boost in air passenger traffic in the upcoming weekend when compared to the August 10 weekend, destinations like Mangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Chandigarh and Kolkata are expected to grow above 20 percent," the IndiGo executive said.

Top Domestic Destinations Booked

Metros and leisure spots lead

Bustling metros continue to be popular choices with Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi topping the list, as travellers look at going back home to enjoy the long weekend or combine work and leisure.

For those seeking a change of scenery, leisure destinations within drivable distance like Lonavala, Ooty and Mahabaleshwar are on top of mind for travellers. Cultural and spiritual hotspots like Udaipur, Jaipur, Varanasi and Puri are also witnessing a surge in searches during this time, according to travel platform Booking.com data.

Bajpai of Ixigo said that spiritual travel is also on the cards for travellers this long weekend, with Varanasi and Amritsar seeing 84 percent and 81 percent YoY increase in flight bookings, respectively.

Popular domestic destinations like Goa, Udaipur, Pondicherry, and Munnar top the list based on hotel reservations, with Goa, Ladakh, and Kashmir being the favourite picks for air travel, according to the Cleartrip data.

International getaways are in high demand, with Malaysia, Singapore, Bali, and Thailand attracting significant interest despite the higher average airfares of Rs 18,500 for Bali and Rs 9,200 for Singapore, it showed.

International travel is rising, driven by visa-free entries and affordable fares, Bajpai said.

“For leisure trips, there is an increased demand to destinations like Kashmir, Leh-Ladakh, Udaipur, Goa and Andamans; Sri Lanka and Bhutan in the Indian subcontinent,” Indiver Rastogi, President & Group Head, Global Business Travel, Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC Travel, said.

Average Airfares on the August 15 weekend

Airfares shoot up

The surge in demand is driving up airfares significantly.

Routes that have seen the highest increase in airfares during the period between August 14 and 20 include Mumbai to Goa with a 51 percent increase in flight rates followed by Bengaluru-Kochi with a 46 percent increase and Delhi-Goa with a 37 percent YoY, Ixigo data showed.

Due to the high demand for travel during such extended weekends, customers are booking in advance to avoid high fares closer to departure, Rastogi said.

“In addition to families and couples, India’s migrant working population is leveraging the opportunity to create extended breaks of 3-5 days by clubbing holidays as Parsi New Year/Independence Day, Raksha Bandhan and Janmashtami are falling on weekdays, with weekends to travel home and celebrate with their families, he said.

The peak in searches for travel between August 14 and 20 occurred a full month ago, in the week of July 22, suggesting that Indians are meticulous planners, pointed out data by online travel platform Skyscanner.

Top 5 international Destinations Booked

Short-haul trips a rage

Multiple short trips which have been a rage among Indian travellers in the post-Covid phase are being driven by these holidays with travel booking volumes increasing significantly for August 14 and 15.

“This year’s travel trends data reveals a growing appetite for short breaks, with 65 percent of Indian travellers seeking a short domestic trip and nearly half (44 percent) interested in short international escapes, both within a 4-night frame, said Santosh Kumar, Country Manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia at Booking.com.

The surge in searches for both domestic and short-haul destinations during August’s long weekends reflects this trend, he added.

Online homestay platform Airbnb recorded a 340 percent increase in domestic searches for the Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan weekend.

“The data underscores a growing trend among Indian travellers to explore domestic destinations during short breaks and long weekends,” said Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnb’s General Manager for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Many hotels are fully booked for the upcoming weekend.

“Our resorts are experiencing high demand, with bookings reaching full capacity two weeks in advance. This heightened demand has driven a 15 percent increase in our average room rates from the previous year's August 15th holiday, said Saurabh Gahoi, Senior Vice President, Ramee Group of Hotels.