Thailand was named the most booked international destination for travel during the Republic Day weekend which falls between Jan. 23 and Jan. 26, as per a report released by MakeMyTrip on Friday.
While weekends are off for a bulk of India's white-collar workforce, a holiday would also be observed on Monday, Jan. 26, on account of the Republic Day.
MakeMyTrip registered a higher surge of bookings in 2026 during this period in comparison to 2025, which it credited with Republic Day falling on Monday rather than a Sunday. This provided travellers with an extra day of break from their academic and professional obligations that tend to fall on a Monday.
"The Republic Day holiday falling on a Monday, acted as a catalyst for travel, compared to last year when the January 26 holiday fell on a Sunday. The spike starts on January 23 (Friday) and peaks on January 24 (Saturday), as travellers start their trips early to make the most of the extended weekend," the report said.
Goa retained its top spot as a domestic holiday destination while Thailand overtook the United Arab Emirates as the top international leisure destination.
The UAE slipped to the second spot in the 2026 list of top five international vacation destinations, followed by Vietnam at the third position, Malaysia in the fourth and Singapore in the fifth.
Vietnam saw a notable tourism surge, rising from 10th place in 2025 to become the third most booked destination
for the long weekend, as per the report.
"Internationally, the skew towards easy-visa destinations continues to gain traction. Countries with direct connectivity to multiple cities are leading demand, with Thailand at the forefront and Vietnam also performing strongly," Rajesh Magow, co founder and group chief executive officer of MakeMyTrip said in the report.
Goa retained its top spot in 2026's top five vacation destinations, but Jaipur overtook Udaipur in second place, with Udaipur taking the third spot, followed by Manali at number four and Pondicherry in the fifth position.
"There is a preference for nearby destinations, evident in the top travel choices from each metro. That said, Goa remains the favourite leisure destination within India," Magow said.
Goa was also the top destination for metro cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai while Mandarmani was the top spot for travel in Kolkata.
Spiritual travel has also seen an uptick, as per the report, with destinations such as Puri, Varanasi, Amritsar, Ayodhya, Ujjain, Dwarka, Udupi and Tirupati reporting strong demand.
ALSO READ: Long Weekends In 2026 In India: Full Guide To Key Holidays And Extended Breaks
Watch LIVE TV, Get Stock Market Updates, Top Business, IPO and Latest News on NDTV Profit.