The upcoming Gandhi Jayanti long weekend is pushing up demand for domestic and international travel, industry watchers said. The timing, coinciding with Pitru Paksha, is also contributing to travel to pilgrimage destinations including Varanasi, Ujjain, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Tirupati, Katra, Madurai and Amritsar, with Varanasi recording a fivefold growth in its share of hotel bookings.
With Navratri and Diwali around the corner, the weekend assumes prominence as it marks the beginning of the stronger foreign tourist arrival season in India. Scapia, a travel-focused fintech platform, reported that international travellers are spending more on stays, with average room rates up 24 per cent and upscale and luxury properties accounting for more than half of bookings.
“Hotels are reporting good demand, and reservations are expected to be higher than last year,” said Rajiv Mehra, General Secretary, Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH). “This period also marks the beginning of the stronger foreign tourist arrival season in India, which is another factor supporting overall hotel and travel demand,” Mehra added.
In terms of destinations, Goa leads leisure travel across flights, buses and hotels, followed by popular short-break destinations such as Udaipur, Jaipur and Mussoorie. Udaipur has seen hotel bookings double over last year, reported Scapia.
“Travel demand is strong for the Gandhi Jayanti long weekend, with October 1 emerging as one of the busiest days of the year for domestic departures and international hotel check-ins as travellers leave early to extend the three-day break,” said Rathinamurthy R, Head of Travel, Scapia.
According to data from travel platforms like Cleartrip and Scapia, most holidaymakers are booking just two to four days in advance, treating the holiday as an impulsive getaway rather than a meticulously planned vacation.
Data from Cleartrip’s PeekABoo trends tracker showed that ground transportation is leading over flights. Bus bookings are up by 59 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y). Driving destinations within a five- to six-hour radius of major metros are seeing the highest traction, alongside inter-metro movement between cities like Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad as people travel to visit family.
One of the most notable shifts this season is the sharp rise in independent travel, particularly among women. Cleartrip data revealed that among those opting to fly, 71 per cent are solo travellers.
Scapia’s booking trends also showed that women now make up nearly two in five overall travellers for the weekend, with solo female air travellers growing at a faster rate than their male counterparts. Domestic flight bookings by solo women have tripled over last year, compared to a 2.4-fold increase for men.
Gen Z accounts for a major chunk of this demographic, driving nearly half of all solo female bus trips and women-led international hotel stays.
In terms of international trips, Southeast Asia remains the top draw for quick overseas getaways. Vietnam is seeing rapid adoption alongside established hubs like Colombo, Bali, Dubai, Singapore and Bangkok, which are among the top choices.
