Mountains Or Beaches—Where Are Indians Travelling To This Holiday Season?

Indian travellers are favouring mountains and winter destinations over beach getaways for the year-end holidays, according to ixigo and AbhiBus' Flight & Bus Year-End Data Trends 2024.

From Dec. 20, 2024, to Jan. 2, 2025, mountain destinations have seen a significant surge in flight bookings, reflecting a growing preference for snowy landscapes amongst Indians.

Jammu leads the list with a 147% year-on-year increase in flight bookings, followed by Udaipur at 126% and Dehradun at 87%. Srinagar saw a 66% rise, while Leh recorded a more modest growth of 30%. By contrast, traditionally popular beach destination Goa witnessed a smaller increase, at 52%, and Jaipur witnessed a 51% rise.

“On the domestic front, destinations like Jammu, Srinagar, and Dehradun are seeing a huge spike in bookings, highlighting a growing interest in mountain escapades this year. 

"This contrasts with last year's trend, where beachside getaways dominated year-end travel plans. The appeal of scenic winter landscapes and the charm of snowfall seem to be drawing more travellers to the mountains this season,” said Aloke Bajpai, Group CEO of ixigo.

While domestic travel is seeing a surge, international travel has also seen remarkable growth. Destinations such as Thailand, Vietnam, London, and Bali have emerged as top choices this winter, with flight bookings to these hotspots rising by 80-200% YoY. 

Another standout trend this year is the growing popularity of solo travel, especially among women. Data shows a 51% increase in solo bus journeys taken by women compared to last year.

Spiritual tourism continues to contribute to the domestic travel scene. Tirupati, Shirdi, Varanasi, Ujjain, and Srisailam remain the top spiritual destinations, with a significant number of travellers prioritising religious journeys. The ratio of spiritual to leisure travel now stands at an impressive 6:1, which highlights a strong inclination toward pilgrimage trips over traditional holiday escapes.

Leisure destinations, however, maintain their appeal, with Goa, Pondicherry, Manali, and Gokarna leading the list.