2025: A Year That Redefined How, Where and Why India Travelled

Let us be honest for a moment. For years, travel was treated as a checklist rather than an experience. Destinations were crowded, itineraries rigid, and holidays often left travellers more fatigued than refreshed. Movement existed, but meaning did not always follow.

As 2025 reaches its final stretch, travel patterns suggest a shift. Travellers are no longer approaching journeys as fixed templates. Instead, they are making choices that reflect personal interests, timing preferences and the desire for depth over volume. The year has unfolded not as a calendar of trips, but as a series of deliberate decisions shaped by access, seasonality and intent.

Planning with Purpose

At the start of the year, destinations associated with culture and slower travel cycles saw increased attention. Varanasi and the tea-growing regions of Assam featured prominently in early planning behaviour. Data from Int2Cruises showed that 82 per cent of Indian cruise travellers had a destination in mind before beginning their search.

This intent-based planning was put forth by Skyscanner, which reported that 59 per cent of Indian travellers were keen to travel more in 2026, with rising interest in cities such as Jorhat, where searches increased by 493 per cent, and Varanasi, which saw a rise of 120 per cent.

Booking behaviour also evolved. Int2Cruises noted that 69 per cent of cruise bookings were made within 90 days of departure, a significantly shorter window than global averages. Platforms such as Skyscanner and Booking.com observed travellers actively using tools like Price Alerts, flexible date searches and mixed itineraries to optimise last-minute planning.

Also Read- How Indians Are Choosing Year-End Travel Across India

Mid-year Trends

As summer approached, domestic travel data pointed towards a clear preference for hill destinations. Ixigo reported that flight searches to Srinagar grew by over 100 per cent month-on-month, with similar increases for Dehradun and Jammu. AbhiBus data mirrored this trend, showing year-on-year growth of over 100 per cent for routes to Mussoorie and Manali.

At the same time, leisure travel increasingly overlapped with spiritually oriented journeys. Travellers combined short breaks with visits to pilgrimage destinations, while short-haul international travel continued to gain momentum, supported by improved connectivity and easier visa access.

International booking data from MakeMyTrip showed Thailand overtaking the UAE as the top New Year international destination, with Vietnam rising to fourth place. Ixigo data also highlighted growth in emerging markets such as Almaty, Uzbekistan and Oman, each recording 40-42 per cent year-on-year growth.

Short Breaks and Premium Choices

Travel in 2025 was not defined solely by long holidays. Short getaways became central to year-round movement, particularly within driving distance of major cities. AbhiBus recorded a doubling of searches on select corridors, reinforcing the dominance of weekend road trips.

Accommodation preferences shifted alongside this trend. MakeMyTrip data pointed to increased bookings in the mid-to-premium hotel segment, while Int2Cruises reported that 78 per cent of Indian cruisers opted for balcony or suite categories, indicating a stronger focus on in-stay comfort.

The Year-End and Winter Surge

As December approached, travel volumes peaked. Ixigo reported international flight bookings rising by 40 to 45 per cent year-on-year, while domestic searches increased by 45 to 50 per cent month-on-month.

Winter emerged as the preferred travel season. Airbnb data showed that 55 per cent of Indian travellers planned at least one winter trip annually. Destinations across Goa, Kerala, Manali, Mussoorie, Udaipur and Jaipur featured strongly, reflecting a balance between coastal, mountain and cultural travel.

Pilgrimage travel also expanded during the year-end period. MakeMyTrip observed a higher share of such journeys, while Ixigo recorded 25 to 30 per cent year-on-year growth in flights to cities such as Varanasi and Ayodhya.

Travel Revolution 2026

Data-led forecasts for 2026 point towards increasingly personalised travel, driven by niche interests and technology-enabled planning. Emerging destinations such as Tbilisi and Queenstown are gaining visibility, aligning with preferences for experience-rich, climate-driven and less familiar journeys.

As 2025 concludes, Indian travel reflects a broader recalibration. Journeys are being shaped less by obligation and more by choice, timing and relevance, marking a year where travel became measured, selective and increasingly personal.