A new survey by MakeMyTrip has revealed that domestic destinations are recording their highest search numbers this year as compared to the same time last year.
“The Summer Travel Trends” report compared user activity from March to April in both 2023 and 2024. They found that places like Goa, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ooty and Hyderabad were among a list of 20 Indian cities which contributed to 45 per cent of all travel searches for both years. Udaipur (#14) and Srinagar (#19) showed the highest growth in searches during this window.
Among the most searched-for pilgrimage destinations, Puri and Varanasi came out on top with Ayodhya continuing to see record growth in search volume. The birthplace of Rama was followed by Lakshadweep, Nandi Hills, Chalakudy and Chevella in registering a rise in tourist interest.
Internationally, the picture remained much the same as last year. Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore, Bali, Kathmandu and Kuala Lumpur made up 64 per cent of all international search volume. Baku, Almaty and Nagoya recorded the highest growth in searches for international destinations.
According to Rajesh Magow, co-founder and group CEO of MakeMyTrip, summer is one of the biggest quarters of the year in terms of travel intent. “India is a large country, and summer leisure travel begins with the southern region where the holiday season arrives early, followed by the west, and then finally the north. We haven’t observed any change in trend this year as well,” he said.
“Additionally, we have observed a surge in traffic and bookings on redBus during election dates as people prioritise to visit their hometowns to cast votes.”
The report also found that family travel grew by 20 per cent and solo travel by 10 per cent in 2024 as compared to 2023. The average duration of travel was three to five days for domestic destinations and five to eight days for international sites.
The most booked domestic holiday packages were for cool mountainous environments like Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir. Thailand, Dubai and Bali were the most popular holiday packages for international travel. Tariffs of INR 2,500-7,000 per night continued to make up around 45 per cent of all homestay bookings.