Booking.com reveals the most popular destinations in India in the first half of 2019
Deep dives into India travel trends for Q1 & Q2
- Rishikesh, Varanasi and Chandigarh are the fastest-growing destinations reveals a deep dive in to Q1 and Q2 travel trends
- South India tops the list as a favourite destination among international travellers visiting India in the first half of 2019
- Top booked accommodation types for travellers visiting India include hotels followed by resorts, hostels and guest houses.
Booking.com the digital travel leader connecting travellers with the widest choice of unique places to stay announces the rankings of cities that proved most popular for travellers booking in India in the first half of 2019, giving a holistic overview of travel destinations and preferences of both Indian and international travellers travelling within and to India in Q1 and Q2. Rishikesh, Varanasi, Tiruchchirappalli, Nedumbassery and Munnar are also revealed to be amongst the fastest-growing destinations of first half of 2019.
Commenting on the trends, Ritu Mehrotra, Country Manager, India, Sri Lanka and Maldives at Booking.com said, “India with a vibrant kaleidoscope of traditions, cultures and geographies is by itself a soul-stirring destination for both international tourists visiting India as well as domestic travellers travelling within the country. The market is increasingly growing, thriving with opportunities as a consequence of well informed and conscious travellers, wanting to explore newer destinations and accommodation options. While we’ve seen travel as a category grow in the first half of 2019, with increased digital penetration and social media usage this trend looks set to continue, with travellers seeking frequent contemporary getaways.”
Most popular destinations for travellers from all countries visiting India in the first half of 2019
- New Delhi
- Mumbai
- Bengaluru
- Chennai
- Jaipur
- Hyderabad
- Kochi
- Pune
- Kolkata
- Agra
Most popular destinations for Indian Travellers travelling within India in the first half of 2019
Beyond the metro cities like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune and Kolkata, scenic and beach destinations were among the popular choice for Indian travellers travelling domestically, the next in line being:
- Jaipur
- Kochi
- Mysore
- Ahmedabad
- Ooty
- Chandigarh
- Coimbatore
- Pondicherry
- Calangute
- Varanasi
South India tops the list for both International travellers visiting India as well as Indians travelling within India with destinations like Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi making it to the list of top 10 most popular states in the first half of 2019. While looking at North India, New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra were among top booked by travellers. For Indians travelling domestically, destinations like Amristar and Agra which were a popular choice last year during this time have been replaced with destinations like Coimbatore and Varanasi.
Fastest growing destinations in Q1&Q2
Here’s the list of the fastest growing destinations between January 1, 2019 to June 30, 2019 travelling to India **
- Rishikesh
- Varanasi
- Chandigarh
- Pune
- Tiruchchirappalli
- Palolem
- Nedumbassery
- Jodhpur
- Coimbatore
- Munnar
Deep-dive into other nationalities travelling to India and their most popular destinations
- For travellers from Asia, North America, Europe and Africa - destinations like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Jaipur, and Kochi remained constant.
- Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh were popular places of travel for travellers from South America with Jaipur, Udaipur, Pushkar, Agra and Varanasi making it to the top 10 list.
- Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh were also a popular choice for travellers from North America, Europe and Africa with destinations like Agra, Jaipur and Varanasi.
Asia | North America | Europe | Africa | Oceania | South America |
New Delhi | New Delhi | New Delhi | Mumbai | New Delhi | New Delhi |
Mumbai | Mumbai | Mumbai | New Delhi | Mumbai | Jaipur |
Bengaluru | Jaipur | Jaipur | Chennai | Jaipur | Agra |
Chennai | Bengaluru | Agra | Bengaluru | Chennai | Varanasi |
Jaipur | Chennai | Kochi | Jaipur | Agra | Mumbai |
Hyderabad | Agra | Bengaluru | Ahmedabad | Kochi | Rishikesh |
Pune | Varanasi | Chennai | Hyderabad | Bengaluru | Udaipur |
Kolkata | Kochi | Varanasi | Agra | Udaipur | Jodhpur |
Kochi | Hyderabad | Udaipur | Kochi | Varanasi | Pushkar |
Gurgaon | Kolkata | Jodhpur | Gurgaon | Jodhpur | Jaisalmer |
Methodology: The data scientists at Booking looked at the most popular locations and accommodation types by number of Bookings by all travellers going to India (Indian travellers and international travellers) for check-in dates between 01-01-2019 to 30-06-2019.
** The data scientists at Booking.com compared the most most-booked destinations in India between January and June in 2019 with the same dates for 2018. Destinations had to have been booked a minimum of 1000 times and were sorted by highest relative YoY growth.