Rang barse on beaches, at spiritual destinations: Travel demand sees uptick this Holi

Holi, which marks the advent of spring, is widely celebrated in India, Nepal and other countries with large Indian subcontinent diaspora populations. (Image: AP)

More Indians are stepping out this Holi compared to 2022, when celebrations were hit due to the Omicron wave.

Over 2.5 times more searches were recorded for Holi travel compared to last year, despite the festival falling on a weekday (Wednesday) this year, noted digital travel platform Agoda.

“We also see a rise compared to pre-Covid levels in travel demand during Holi,” the platform said.

Holi sees more travel demand

Indians are making the most of the extended Holi weekend, said Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head -Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook India.

“We are witnessing an uptick in demand of over 15-20 percent versus pre-pandemic levels, primarily from Gen Z, multigenerational families and couples,” he added.

Holi travel is back with a bang, said Aloke Bajpai, Co-founder & Group CEO of ixigo, a travel platform.

“We have seen a 30 percent increase in advance bookings for the Holi week for leisure travel to popular domestic and short-haul international destinations this year,” he said.

Bajpai added that average airfares across popular routes for travel during Holi week have surged 10-15 percent month-on-month.

Surge in demand for train tickets

Demand for train travel has also surged, noted Sripad Vaidya, Co-founder & COO, Confirmtkt, a train-ticket booking platform. “There is a huge jump in demand for train tickets in the run-up to Holi as compared to last year. We have seen a 10 percent increase in bookings for train travel on routes such as Mumbai-Pune, Mumbai-Goa, New Delhi-Varanasi, Patna-New Delhi and Jaipur-New Delhi.  To cater to the sudden increase in demand, 90 additional Holi special trains have been added by Indian Railways this year,” he added.

The festive rush has led to airfares skyrocketing and overbooking of trains, due to which travellers are leaning towards buses for last-minute Holi travel plans, said Rohit Sharma, COO, AbhiBus, an online bus ticket booking service.

“Around 20-25 lakh additional passengers are expected to undertake inter-city bus travel across India during March 1-8. We have seen a 27 percent rise in bus travel bookings year-on-year for Holi week,” he said.

People wanting to visit their hometowns and celebrate the festival with loved ones is an important factor for the increase in travel demand this year, said Nishant Pitti, CEO and Co-Founder, EaseMyTrip.

“The second major reason is that travellers want to plan a getaway to unwind and celebrate Holi in an unconventional manner. This is why cultural cities such as Mathura, Varanasi and Jaipur are witnessing an increase in travel demand. Additionally, Indian Railways’ plans to run special Holi trains to accommodate the surging passenger traffic has eased travel planning for many people,” he added.

Go-to spots this Holi

Spiritual travel is witnessing an upswing this Holi with high demand for destinations such as Barsana, Nandgaon, Mathura and Gokul, which are centered around the life and times of Lord Krishna, said Kale.

Mathura tops the list for travellers as the religious town is important from the Hindu mythology perspective, noted Pitti. “There has been a 100 percent increase in travel searches for the destination this year. Varanasi is another popular choice for people as there has been a 50 percent increase in searches for this destination. Additionally, Jaipur is also on the preference list of travellers for Holi this year — it has seen a 70 percent increase in travel searches,” he said.

Young Indians are opting for spiritual centres that offer unique and local experiences, said Kale. “Outdoor adventure enthusiasts are combining their spiritual getaways with thrilling experiences like white-water rafting in Vaishno Devi and night trekking in Kathadi, which is close to Rameswaram.”

Goa is the most popular destination for Holi on Agoda, followed by New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Jaipur.

The travel appetite among Indians is strong this Holi despite an increase in hotel prices compared to last year, noted Kayak India Country Manager Tarun Tahiliani.

Hotels record more bookings

Travel search engine Kayak recorded an 89 percent spike in hotel searches for Holi versus last year. The average price for one night in a 3-4 star domestic hotel is Rs 11,386, a 41 percent increase in rates as compared to 2022.

“We expect the demand to rise strongly with the beginning of the summer season. Our hotel rooms are currently available with a 15 percent increase in rates compared to 2022. The room tariffs are likely to rise further during peak summer season demand, said Akash Garg, CMD, Moksha Himalaya Spa Resort.

Compared to February, hotels are seeing 15 percent growth in occupancy during Holi, said Sarbendra Sarkar, Founder & MD, Cygnett Hotels & Resorts.

“Additionally, there has been a growth of around 20-25 percent over last year's occupancy during the same period (March),” he added.

Hospitality chain OYO has seen an average stay of about six days during Holi, which is more than what was recorded last year.

“Prayagraj clocked the highest growth at 127 percent in (hotel) bookings in 2023, followed closely by Patna at 126 percent and Lucknow at 125 percent.

Delhi and Hyderabad also witnessed a significant increase compared to the same period last year,” said an OYO spokesperson.

Bookings in 2023 have surpassed last year’s level, said Chander K Baljee, MD & Chairman, Royal Orchid & Regenta Hotels. “Data shows hotel booking has increased by 14 percent over last year. This suggests that the hospitality sector will expand,” he said.