Travel, hospitality service providers see surge in demand for extended weekend

New Delhi: Travel and hospitality service providers are experiencing a significant surge in travel interest as Indian travellers gear up for the Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan long weekend with Goa, Udaipur, Mumbai and Lonavala, emerging among the top domestic destinations.

Indian travellers are also planning international trips, with destinations including Bangkok, Singapore, Phuket, Dubai, Bali, Pattaya, and Colombo, according to travel service provider MakeMyTrip and online accommodation platform Airbnb.

"We are observing a significant increase in bookings across all sectors, from domestic flights and hotels to international travel. The five-day holiday bonanza, enhanced by the festival of Rakhi falling closer to Independence Day weekend compared to last year, has contributed significantly," MakeMyTrip CoFounder and Group CEO, Rajesh Magow said.

He further said, "Overall, we have observed significant growth in the southern cities and lower interest in hill stations in the north due to the weather conditions." Similarly, Airbnb said as India gears up for the Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan long weekend, its latest search data revealed "a significant surge in travel interest" "The data highlights an approximately 340 per cent Y-o-Y increase in domestic searches for Airbnb stays during the Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan long weekend," it said, adding among the top preferred domestic locations are Goa, Lonavala, Puducherry, Mumbai, Bengaluru, New Delhi and Udaipur.

On the other hand, as per MakeMyTrip, the domestic destinations witnessing maximum growth in demand are Pondicherry, Mahabaleshwar, Chikmagalur, Munnar, Ooty, Coorg, Udaipur, Varanasi, Amritsar and Mandarmani. Airbnb General Manager for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, Amanpreet Bajaj said, "The data underscores a growing trend amongst Indian travellers to explore domestic destinations during short breaks and long weekends as they are easily accessible." According to MakeMyTrip, the top international destinations are Bangkok, Singapore, Phuket, Dubai, Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Pattaya, London, New York and Colombo while Colombo, Kathmandu, Langkawi, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Istanbul, Pattaya, Zurich, Ho Chi Minh City and Abu Dhabi are witnessing maximum growth in demand.