Where are Indians travelling to this festive season?

Over the past year and a half, travellers have collectively missed milestones, moments together, including occasions and festive travel. With the upcoming festive holidays, lockdown restrictions gradually easing in different parts of the country and activities slowly beginning to normalize, travellers are looking forward to their next trip home to visit and celebrate with friends and family or taking some leisurely time off after being indoors for so long. Booking.com, the digital travel leader connecting travellers with the widest choice of unique places to stay, today shared key booking trends for India this festive season.

With borders opening up, Indians are taking to the skies with the UAE, France and UK being the top three most booked international destinations by Indian travellers between October 1 to November 30, 2021. For Indians travelling domestically, they are booking destinations across the country from the beaches of Goa on the west coast, to the mountains and hills of Manali and Darjeeling up north. Hotels continue to be the top booked accommodation type by Indians travelling domestically. Besides hotels, Indians are also looking to stay in alternative accommodations like guesthouses, homestays, hostels, and apartments.

Travel trends by Indian travellers travelling internationally:

After months of waiting for international travel restrictions to ease and getting completely vaccinated, Indian travellers are also planning their upcoming travels with friends and family to international destinations. UAE, France, UK, Switzerland and Italy are among the top five most booked destinations by Indian outbound travellers.

Top booked international destinations by Indian travellers between October 1 to November 30, 2021:

* UAE

* France

* UK

* Switzerland

* Italy

* Germany

* Maldives

* Canada

* Russia

* Spain

Travel trends by Indian travellers travelling within India:

Travelling within India continues to gain momentum with Indians booking domestic destinations for the upcoming festive season. As per Booking.com data, besides metros like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, leisure destinations such as Goa, Jaipur and Manali are among the top 10 most booked domestic destinations for the festive season between October 1 and November 30, 2021, by Indian travellers.

Top booked domestic destinations by Indian travellers between October 1 to November 30, 2021:

* New Delhi

* Goa

* Jaipur

* Mumbai

* Bengaluru

* Kolkata

* Manali

* Udaipur

* Darjeeling

* Rishikesh

Top 5 accommodation types booked by Indian travellers travelling within India between October 1 to November 30, 2021:

* Hotel

* Resort

* Guest House

* Homestay

* Apartment

Commenting on Indian travel sentiment this festive season, Ritu Mehrotra, Regional Manager, South Asia at Booking.com said, "With the increased pace of vaccination and travel restrictions easing both within India and globally, we are seeing traveller confidence returning. As we near the festive season, travellers are starting to plan their next trip, be it back home to visit family or indulge in leisure travel with friends. While bookings are largely domestic, we are also seeing demand for international travel back on the agenda. And as the demand for travel continues to rise, as a leader in travel, Booking.com will continue to make it easier for people to experience the world in a safe manner. We will continue to offer the widest accommodation choices at great value so travellers can cherish the experience travel has to offer."