Indians are booking longer holiday packages this summer. According to Rajesh Magow, co-founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip, the average nights booked for outbound packages for the summer quarter is 27 per cent higher than last year’s corresponding period, and almost 85 per cent higher than the pre-pandemic average. In domestic packages, too, the company has seen a 54 per cent rise in average room nights booked this year over the corresponding period in 2019.

Over the past three years, due to the pandemic, the duration of travel had reduced, and people preferred taking smaller and frequent trips. 

“We are observing some early positive trends in leisure travel ahead of the upcoming holiday season. The preference for relaxed itineraries continues, with the average room night per booking for April-June quarter increasing for domestic and outbound holiday packages. The preference for relaxed itineraries has positively impacted average per-passenger spend. Travellers are seeking experience-led travel, resulting in more bookings with pre-booked activities,” said Magow.

But where are people travelling to this summer? On the international front, while long-haul destinations, including Europe, are generating a lot of interest, according to Magow, short-haul destinations such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Maldives and UAE are making it to the top five, he explained.

“India’s rainbow offering of diverse cultures and landscapes, offering varied destinations to travellers, is coming to the fore in our booking mix. Goa, Kochi, Srinagar, Dehradun, and Leh are sought-after domestic flight destinations,” he said.

When it comes to accommodation, the top 10 most-booked destinations remain consistent, led by Goa. Leading metropolitan cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai take the next five slots. Jaipur, followed by Kolkata and Pune, complete the top 10 list. “We have also seen strong traction for pilgrimage destinations such as Puri, Varanasi, Rishikesh, and Vrindavan and hill destinations such as Ooty and Darjeeling,” said Magow.