The lush hills of Coorg, beaches of Goa, and adventure trails of Rishikesh — this is how holidays of some Indians are looking, with the festive season kicking off with Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day driving a surge in travel demand and booking trends showing strong growth.
Travel aggregators and hotel chains are reporting a surge in bookings across popular destinations during this period. As travellers embrace the idea of mini-vacays, places like Goa, Puducherry, Udaipur, and Ooty are seeing a significant uptick in weekend travellers.
With August 15 falling on a Friday this year, many travellers are taking Thursday off to enjoy an extended four-day weekend, pointed out Rajnish Kumar, Group Co-CEO, ixigo.
“We’re seeing that reflected in a sharp uptick in flight bookings. Travel to popular leisure destinations is up by 25–30 percent year-on-year,” he said.
While the majority of bookings typically happen in the last 7-10 days, travel agents and airlines are already seeing momentum, with Rakhi and Independence Day falling within a week of each other.
Travel demand appears to be peaking on Wednesday, August 13, giving early travellers a five-day window for a mini vacation.
Travel rush
Rikant Pittie, CEO and Co-Founder, EaseMyTrip, observed that national holidays are increasingly being seen as travel opportunities, and overall bookings for Independence Day have increased by 11-12 percent compared to last year.
On Yatra, overall bookings have jumped 25–30 percent over regular weekends and hotel bookings are up by 20–25 percent, with a 22–24 percent rise compared to last year for the Independence Day long weekend.
Domestic airlines are also eyeing the long weekend to revive travel sentiment and expect daily domestic air traffic to rise by 15–20 percent during August 12–18 when compared to August 5–11.
“Airlines have started redeploying extra capacity and flights on popular domestic routes, and are also offering last-minute discounts to boost travel during the August 15 weekend,” a senior executive from Air India told Moneycontrol.
He added that airlines have seen a surge in demand on popular routes such as Delhi-Jaipur, Delhi-Goa, Mumbai-Goa, Mumbai-Jaipur, and Bengaluru-Kochi.
Senior executives from IndiGo told Moneycontrol that the airline is seeing a surge in travel demand to Assam and the north-eastern states in India around the Independence Day long weekend.
“Many travellers are eyeing the northeast of India as an alternative to Kashmir and flood ridden Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. We have seen travel demand to the northeast surge 30 percent in August 2025, when compared to a year ago,” a senior executive from IndiGo told Moneycontrol.
It’s Gen Z leading the way, choosing freedom in the form of spontaneous getaways, offbeat destinations, and workations, noted Bharatt Malik, Senior VP (Vice President) - Air and Hotel Business, Yatra Online.
“The growth is visible across both domestic and international segments. Compared to last year, we are seeing around 15 to 20 percent growth in overall bookings for the Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day window. It shows how travel is becoming part of the modern festive mindset,” said Dr Vikas Katoch, Founder and CEO, Adotrip.
He added that this year, more siblings planned trips together for Raksha Bandhan.
“People were exploring places like Chikmagalur for its misty charm, driving through Kasauli’s scenic roads, or going on treks like Hampta Pass. Locations such as Zuluk, Gangtok, and Darjeeling were chosen for their nostalgic and peaceful appeal. With the monsoon adding its own magic, short stay bookings and road trips have grown significantly on our platform.”
Flight bookings during Raksha Bandhan jumped by 29 percent, and hotel bookings also saw a similar surge, said Karan Agarwal, Director, Cox & Kings.
For Raksha Bandhan, bus travel saw a 31 percent increase in bookings in Maharashtra for the extended festive weekend.
While air travel continues to dominate in terms of booking volume, Mallika Sheth, Partner, TravelK and TealFeel, said that there is an uptick in interstate bus travel for shorter routes, especially from urban metros to neighbouring cities and towns.
Manish Rathi, Co-Founder and CEO of IntrCity SmartBus, is seeing a rise in bookings across the country, but the most significant surge in advance bookings is coming from North and West India.
“Both this year and last year, Raksha Bandhan coincided closely with Independence Day, creating an extended getaway window for travellers. While bookings were already strong last year, this year we’ve seen an impressive 35 percent rise in the number of bookers.”
Long weekends have always been a popular reason for travel among travellers, and the window between Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan is no exception, said Manjari Singhal, Chief Growth and Business Officer, Cleartrip. "What has emerged is the trend of value-driven getaways that balance festive obligations with a growing desire for cost-effective yet fulfilling travel experiences."
Higher fares
With higher demand, air fares are increasing as well. Airfares are seeing hikes of 40–80 percent on high-demand routes, a clear indicator of intense booking activity, said Agarwal.
“There is a surge in popular domestic sectors like Delhi–Mumbai, Bengaluru–Goa, and Delhi–Dehradun, fares have risen by 40–80 percent depending on the time of booking. International fares too, have seen sharp hikes from Delhi to Dubai, for example, are now 40–50 percent more expensive than the average for the same period last year.”
Pittie said that on popular routes like Gwalior to Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, fares have risen by 40-60 percent, sometimes even growing threefold.
Scenic spots such as Dehradun, Kannur, Udaipur, Coimbatore, among others are also seeing strong momentum, with fares rising 10-15 percent year-on-year (YoY) on average during the holiday weekend, said Kumar. “Among the most booked domestic destinations this season are Dehradun, Port Blair, Goa, and Coimbatore."
Agoda’s accommodation search data shows Goa, Udaipur, Lonavala, Ooty, and Coorg topping the list for the August 15 long weekend.
“We are also seeing rising interest in regional hotspots, from Munnar and Wayanad in the South to hidden gems in the North-East. Road trips, short train journeys and last-minute bookings which now make up nearly 40 percent of all trips are defining this new wave of independent Indian travel, said Malik.
Udaipur has emerged as a clear standout, registering over six times YoY increase in hotel bookings, noted Govind Gaur, Founder and CEO, WanderOn, a D2C (direct-to-consumer) Travel Tech Company.
Candolim in Goa also saw a significant boost, with bookings jumping by around 17 times compared to the same period last year. Lonavala, a perennial favourite among residents of Mumbai and Pune, experienced a 5.4 times rise in travel demand, reaffirming its position as a preferred monsoon and festive retreat, he added.
More check-ins
Cleartrip recorded high hotel bookings across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Goa, Kerala for Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day.
Katoch, on his travel platform, has seen a 45 to 55 percent increase in hotel bookings around Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day.
EaseMyTrip’s Pittie said they have observed around 35 percent increase in hotel bookings for the long weekend. “This trend is mainly being driven by more travellers opting for quality accommodations,” he added.
Agarwal pointed out that during Raksha Bandhan, hotel room rates rose by 55–65 percent in popular hill stations and coastal areas.
“Compared to the same period (Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day) last year, our bookings have risen by approximately 15–20 percent across key leisure destinations such as Udaipur and Bhuj,” said Saurabh Gahoi, Senior Vice President, Ramee Group of Hotels.
He added that occupancy across their portfolio is averaging around 75–78 percent for the extended Raksha Bandhan–Independence Day weekend, with some leisure properties like Ramee Royal Resort in Udaipur, Ramee Guestline Hotel in Bengaluru, and Ramee Guestline Hotel in Tirupati nearing full capacity.
Occupancy is better than last year, which averaged closer to 70 percent, he said. “The momentum is being driven by a combination of early bookings, festive family gatherings, and increased interest in experiential stays such as spa getaways, rooftop dining, and poolside celebrations.”
Some properties for the long Independence Day weekend are witnessing up to a 40 percent surge in bookings compared to last year, with ADRs (Average Daily Rate) expected to be 10–15 percent higher year-on-year, noted K B Kachru, President, Hotel Association of India and Chairman, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group.
He added that Independence Day is a significant day for the hospitality sector typically resulting in a substantial increase in demand.
Kachru noted that in Q3 2024 (July–September), the hospitality sector maintained its upward trajectory, posting a strong year-on-year performance. This growth was primarily driven by higher Average Daily Rates (ADR), resulting in a 10.8 percent increase in RevPAR (revenue per available room), as reported by JLL. One of the key contributors to this surge was Independence Day.
Overall, Katoch expects a 25 percent YoY growth in festive travel demand in 2025.
“We expect the momentum to build through the festive calendar, led by long weekends, family celebrations, and pent-up leisure travel. Flexible working policies and hybrid models are also playing a key role in supporting extended stays and short getaways,” Sheth said.
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