India’s Year-End Travel Booms: Leisure Dominates, Pilgrimage Surges

India’s year-end travel rush looks familiar at first glance—beaches are booked out, hill stations are packed, and airport terminals are buzzing. While leisure holidays continue to anchor demand during the Christmas–New Year window, a growing share of travellers are pairing vacations with pilgrimage trips, signalling a broader shift in how Indians are travelling.

Booking data from MakeMyTrip for travel between Dec. 20, 2025 and Jan. 5, 2026 shows leisure travel still accounting for the bulk of bookings, but pilgrimage journeys are steadily gaining ground. Leisure travel made up about 75% of bookings this year, while pilgrimage travel rose to nearly 25%, up from around 23% last year.

"The domestic tourism growth story continues during the year-end and New Year holiday period, with sustained demand across leisure and pilgrimage destinations," said Rajesh Magow, Co-founder and Group CEO of MakeMyTrip. He added that travellers are increasingly willing to upgrade accommodation and combine leisure breaks with 'spiritually enriching journeys.'

That blend is visible across destinations. Traditional leisure hotspots such as Goa, Jaipur, Udaipur, Manali and Jaisalmer continue to dominate domestic holiday bookings. At the same time, spiritual centres including Varanasi, Puri, Ayodhya, Amritsar, Tirupati and Ujjain are seeing strong demand, as travellers use the extended holiday window to plan religious visits alongside family vacations.

Another clear trend is premiumisation. MakeMyTrip’s data shows a gradual shift away from the Rs 2,500 – Rs 5,000 per night hotel category towards higher-priced stays in the Rs 5,000 – Rs 7,500 range.

The move suggests that travellers are prioritising comfort and better experiences, even for short breaks. Homestays and premium hotels have both benefited from this trend, especially in hill stations and heritage cities.

The appetite for travel is not stopping at India’s borders either. Short-haul international destinations continue to attract Indian travellers, led by Thailand and the UAE, followed by Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam–Cambodia.

Vietnam, in particular, has climbed sharply in popularity compared with last year, reflecting growing interest in newer Asian destinations.

According to Magow, easier visa regimes and visa-free access have played a meaningful role in sustaining outbound travel demand. "The impact of easier visa and visa-free access is playing out consistently, reinforcing India’s growing appetite for outbound travel," he said.

Taken together, the year-end data suggests a subtle recalibration in how Indians travel. Holidays are no longer just about switching off, nor are pilgrimages strictly austere affairs. The data suggests Indian travellers are no longer drawing hard lines between holidays and pilgrimages, or between budget and premium experiences.

Instead, year-end travel is becoming more layered — mixing leisure, faith and comfort into a single itinerary. As India heads into 2026, that convergence is likely to shape travel demand well beyond the holiday season, offering airlines, hotels and travel platforms a broader — and more nuanced — market to serve.