Ooty to overseas: Republic Day break sparks travel rush as long weekends drive demand

Republic Day travel rush

• Republic Day long weekend drives a 30% surge in travel bookings for 2026
• Goa, Pondicherry, and Udaipur top domestic searches; Phu Quoc leads abroad
• Gen Z and millennials favor short, experience-led trips over longer vacations

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The year has barely begun, but India’s travel engines are already humming with the Republic Day long weekend triggering an early surge in bookings.

Travel operators like Dr Vikas Katoch, Founder and CEO of Adotrip see the January 26 long weekend emerging as one of the first major travel demand drivers of 2026 with bookings up around 30 percent compared to last year.

Republic Day rush

"We saw strong growth in bookings during the New Year 2025, and that growth momentum has carried into the Republic Day long weekend. Early trends show bookings on Cleartrip already exceeding both last year’s NYE and Republic Day periods, signalling a clear shift towards short breaks and stay-led trips," Manjari Singhal, Chief Growth and Business Officer, Cleartrip, told Moneycontrol.

Extended weekends now account for around 40-45 percent of domestic leisure trips, with booking volumes growing 20-30 percent year on year during these periods, pointed out Karan Agarwal, Director, Cox & Kings.

Such extended breaks are now an important early-year travel occasion rather than just an opportunistic spike, said Govind Gaur, Founder and CEO, WanderOn.

Yatra's Senior Vice-President (VP), Air and Hotel Business, Bharat Malik calls long weekends increasingly significant for the travel industry. "We see an incremental demand jump of 20 percent or more during long weekends compared to regular weekends."

Ooty to overseas

The Republic Day falling on Monday, January 26, 2026, has resulted in a three-day break from January 24 to 26, which may extend to four days by taking leave on Friday, January 23.

In this 3-4 day short break, Rikant Pittie, CEO and Co-Founder, EaseMyTrip listed down destinations like Rajasthan, Kerala, Delhi and the Andaman Islands where Indians are going to. International hotspots include Bhutan, Sri Lanka along with Gulf hubs like Dubai and Abu Dhabi and island destinations such as the Maldives and Mauritius.

There is an increased interest in spiritual hubs such as Tirupati, Amritsar and Varanasi, noted Rajnish Kumar, Group Co-CEO, ixigo.

Agoda data shows Goa ranking the most searched domestic destination for the Republic Day long weekend, Pondicherry ranked second, with searches rising by two times year-on-year, followed by Udaipur in third place with growth in travel interest of 148 percent.

Varkala and Ooty showed the highest growth in searches among the top ten destinations, recording a 188 percent and 182 percent growth respectively. In addition, Jaipur and Varanasi also saw increased travel interest during the holiday period, with 154 percent and 142 percent growth in searches respectively.

For trips abroad, Phu Quoc Island has emerged as the fastest-growing getaway for the holiday period, recording a year-on-year growth in travel interest of over 11 times and Krabi saw 163 percent growth while Ho Chi Minh City witnessed a nearly twofold growth in interest.

Stable airfares

Airfares are trending higher with overall pricing recording an uptick of around 12 to 17 percent, Pittie said. Despite the increase, fares remain relatively stable and competitive on key domestic routes. For instance, flights from Hyderabad to Delhi are currently available at approximately Rs 4,600, while travel between Delhi and Mumbai is being priced at around Rs 5,200, he added. "Compared to December, when supply constraints and seasonal pressures pushed fares higher, January pricing appears more balanced."

Agarwal noted that domestic airfares are 20-25 percent lower than New Year peak levels. On international routes to Southeast Asia and the Middle East, fares are carrying a 12-18 percent premium over early-January averages, he added.

Sold out

Yatra has recorded an uptick of around 15 percent in hotel bookings compared to last year.

SaffronStays is seeing a sharp rise in early bookings for the Republic Day long weekend this year.

Compared to last year, demand across SaffronStays has grown by nearly 120% year-on-year, said its founder, Devendra Parulekar. "Key markets in Maharashtra have crossed 70 percent occupancy, while Kasauli has moved past the 50 percent mark, and both Goa and Uttarakhand are currently tracking at around 50 percent occupancy for the long weekend."

Athiva Resort & Spa in Khandala is tracking 40 percent higher demand versus previous weekends. "Very few rooms are remaining for the long weekend, and we expect to be sold out on those dates," added Rachit Gupta, VP Marketing & Sales Athiva Hotels & Resorts (Chalet Hotels Ltd).

For Regenta Hotels, part of Royal Orchid Hotels, booking for the Republic Day long weekend is 15–20 percent higher than a regular January weekend and up by 25–30 percent year-on-year.

"Average Daily Rate (ADR) is up 50 percent compared to last year, which has translated into a 39 percent increase in total revenue for the same period," said Arjun Baljee, Founder of ICONIQA + President of Royal Orchid Hotels.

Parulekar is seeing bookings for two-night stays indicating short getaways being built around the long weekend rather than extended holidays. "There is high demand for private villas with pools, pet-friendly homes, and large group stays," he added.

Baljee also said that while the traditional '2 Adults' category accounts for 70 percent of the bookings, he is also seeing niche growth in pet-friendly travel.

Gen Z on the move

Pittie is seeing 80 percent occupancy levels and nearly 35 to 40 percent of hotel bookings are coming from couples.

But Gaur said that the travel surge around the Republic Day holiday is being driven primarily by Gen Z and millennials, who are favouring short, experience-led trips over longer vacations.

"Gen Z is driving the surge with international air travel particularly seeing strong traction as bookings are up 73 percent," Singhal said.