Maldives loses out; Phuket, Bangkok top picks as travel bookings soar for Christmas, New Year

Travel demand soaring for Christmas and New Year.

Indians are ready to welcome Christmas and New Year like never before, with international holiday spots like Thailand, Vietnam, London, and Bali recording 80-100 percent year-on-year (YoY) growth in flight bookings.

“Around 5 crore international passengers have already flown to and from India in the first nine months of 2024. Given the current trend, the country is likely to see more than 7 crore international passengers for the first time ever,” a senior official from the Ministry of Civil Aviation told Moneycontrol.

Beyond local shores

Among international destinations, Phuket has recorded the highest increase in flight bookings, at 168 percent, followed by Bangkok at 166 percent, as per ixigo data.

For MakeMyTrip, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have witnessed a 248 percent and 100 percent growth in searches, respectively. Japan, Vietnam and Turkey saw a healthy double-digit growth in searches.

The top 20 international destinations accounted for 83 percent of all searches for travel during the upcoming holiday season. They include UAE, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.

Canada, Maldives see a drop

Canada and Maldives are the only two destinations among the top 20 that saw a drop in searches.

Maldives restored its ties with India after a diplomatic row earlier in 2024. Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu urged Indians to visit the nation during his five-day India visit in October this year. The country saw an increase in searches. However, once among the top holiday spots especially for couples, Maldives, this year, has not found mention in the top 10 international destinations for year-end travel.

"Travellers are gravitating towards culturally rich cities, offering a mix of diverse experiences—beaches, nightlife, and culture. For the first time, Maldives has not featured in the top 10 most-searched destinations for year-end travel, reflecting a growing preference for more varied and immersive vacations over traditional hotspots," Bajpai said.

The introduction of new direct flights to Langkawi and Penang, along with increased flights to Kuala Lumpur, has led to a 2.3 times surge in bookings for Kuala Lumpur for year-end travel. However, bookings for the Maldives have fallen by 54 percent, compared to last year, Cleartrip data showed.

Bookings to Denpasar (Bali) surged by 73 percent, compared to 2023. Bookings to Tbilisi rose 27 percent, Tashkent (100 percent), Almaty (73 percent), Da Nang (60 percent), and Baku 133 percent on year, Cleartrip data showed.

Domestic getaways

Local holiday spots like Jammu have registered a 147 percent YoY increase in flight bookings for  the December 20, 2024-January 2, 2025, period. Other destinations like Srinagar, Dehradun, Udaipur, Goa, Jaipur and Leh recorded 66 percent, 87 percent, 126 percent, 52 percent, 51 percent, and 30 percent, respectively.

The top 20 domestic cities, including Mumbai, Udaipur, and Delhi, contributed 40 percent to all searches , with Goa leading the charts, according to travel aggregator MakeMyTrip data.

In addition, 40 percent of the top 20 most-searched domestic destinations include hill destinations across north and south India.

"On the domestic front, destinations like Jammu, Srinagar, and Dehradun are seeing a huge spike in bookings, highlighting a growing interest in mountain escapades this year. This contrasts with last year’s trend, where beachside getaways dominated year-end travel plans. The appeal of scenic winter landscapes and the charm of snowfall seem to be drawing more travellers to the mountains this season," said Aloke Bajpai, Group CEO, ixigo.

Varanasi has recorded the highest growth, with a 669 percent YoY increase in flight bookings for the period December 20, 2024-January 2, 2025. Amritsar, Tirupati and Shirdi registered an increase in flight bookings of 58 percent, 67 percent and 22 percent, respectively.

Searches for domestic destinations saw an increase of 40-100 percent from the same time last year, data from travel platform Booking.com showed.

Top domestic picks for Christmas and New Year travel.

Travel trends

Rajesh Magow, Co-founder and group CEO, MakeMyTrip, pointed out that bookings for travel in pairs and family continue to be dominant during the holiday season while the share of solo travellers is also on the rise, particularly among international travellers.

Solo travel grew by 34 percent for international travel, compared to the same period last year.

Also, similar to last year, the Saturday before Christmas (December 21) continues to be the most searched travel date for both domestic and international travel. However, for domestic hotel searches, there is a spike in interest for travel, starting December 25, which indicates that travellers might be extending their holidays beyond Christmas till New Year's Day.

The average duration of stay for travellers during year-end holidays is approximately one week.

Bus bookings

Along with air travel, Christmas and New Year travel plans are driving bus bookings. IntrCity SmartBus has recorded a 20 percent surge in demand.

"This year's Christmas and New Year travel period is shaping up to be one of the busiest in recent times. Ticket prices have seen a rise, driven by higher demand and advance bookings. Additionally, the holiday period has expanded beyond the usual year-end rush, with peak travel expected between December 20 and January 2," said Manish Rathi, CEO & Co- founder, IntrCity SmartBus.

The year-end holiday season is driving a significant surge in bus travel, with a strong preference for spiritual hotspots over leisure destinations, said Rohit Sharma, Chief Operating Officer, AbhiBus.

This year, the ratio of spiritual to leisure travel stands at an impressive 6:1, which means for every six people travelling to a spiritual destination, one person chooses a leisure destination, highlighting the growing preference for religious journeys, Sharma noted.

IntrCity has also seen pilgrim destinations such as Katra (Vaishno Devi) and Ayodhya gaining popularity during the holiday season.

"We've observed a 50 percent YoY increase in bookings from female solo travellers, as more women embrace bus journeys for their year-end travel plans. Also, 39 percent of travellers are heading to tier II, III cities," he added.

Hotels sold out

Many of the Wyndham Hotels & Resorts are sold out, said the hospitality chain's Head of Sales & Marketing Eurasia, Sakshi Sehdev Dogra.

"Many of our popular locations, such as Ramada Goa Arpora, Vagator, Udaipur, Kochi, Mussoorie, and Gangtok, are already sold out. Locations like Amritsar, Jaipur, Neemrana, and Alappuzha are close to capacity, with 80-90 percent of rooms already booked," she said.

SaffronStays, which offers luxury villas and holiday homes, is expecting 100 percent occupancy by December 31. The company's founder, Devendra Parulekar, said he is expecting a 45 percent increase in bookings from 2023.

Royal Orchid Hotels's Chief Operating Officer, Philip Logan, said that advance bookings are up by 15 percent, compared to the same period in 2023, and occupancy levels for Christmas and New Year have crossed 70 percent and are estimated to reach over 90 percent closer to the festive dates.

"We’re seeing extended stays due to the wedding season, where guests choose to blend festive celebrations with family gatherings," said Somesh Agarwal, Chairman and MD, Radisson Blu Palace Resort & Spa, Udaipur.

Saurabh Gahoi, Senior Vice president of Ramee group of hotels, said they are seeing the highest demand this festive season across key locations in Bengaluru, Dubai, Bahrain, Mumbai, Udaipur and Pune.

"Goa, Manali, Jibhi, and Shimla are some of the locations where we have witnessed consistently high demand (for the upcoming festive period)," said Rahul Uppal, Director – Echor Hotels.