Travel platforms like Yatra, OYO and MakeMyTrip are seeing demand uptick as compared to pre-covid levels as the last week of the year rings in. 

Speaking to businessline, Bharatt Malik, Sr. VP, Flights, Yatra.com said that the travel booking platform saw the demand for travel in this New Year increase by approximately 20 per cent (flights and hotels) as compared to 2019.

Uptick in demand

Vipul Prakash, COO, of MakeMyTrip said, “Domestic leisure traffic has recovered more than 100 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and remains strong. We are observing solid trends for the upcoming new year end .”

Hospitality major OYO has witnessed a 44 per cent rise in bookings demand over 2021, based on the advanced bookings for the upcoming holiday season between 25th-31st December 2022.  The bookings demand on OYO is led by leisure cities such as Goa, Hyderabad, Puri, Manali and Kolkata, according to a company spokesperson. 

On MakeMyTrip, Goa, Jaipur, Shimla, Udaipur, and Manali lead the pack of the most booked destinations on the platform. The company has also observed an uptick for destinations like Wayanad, Mysore, Ooty, Coorg, Gangtok, Dehradun, Agra, Dharamshala, and Darjeeling. Further, people are opting for longer duration stays in premium properties, indicating a higher propensity to spend as they seek luxury-led experiences. 

Yatra too has observed greater interest in domestic destinations such as Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and South India- Kerala and Pondicherry. A significant number of people on Yatra are also planning trips to peaceful destinations such as Da Nang, Alleppey, Hampi, and Kovalam and indulging in relaxing activities like traditional spas, BBQs, etc.

International packages

“Visa-free short-haul international destinations such as UAE, Maldives, Mauritius, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Turkey are being preferred by people for year-end travel,” Malik added. In the case of MakeMyTrip, the best-selling international travel packages for the new year celebrations include ‘Spectacular Krabi and Phuket Getaway,’ ‘The Best of Pattaya & Bangkok,’ ‘Mesmerizing Dubai Vacation,’ ‘Amsterdam Swiss Paris Budget Special Group,’ and ‘Wonderful Paradise Resort (Maldives) Holiday.

Adding to this, Aloke Bajpai, Group CEO &Co-founder, ixigo said, “In international travel, southeast asian destinations like Thailand and Singapore has seen more than a 25 per cent YoY increase in search queries this year. Dubai and Vietnam have also seen a surge in demand for year-end travel.”

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