Mumbai,
16
March
2022
|
08:48
Europe/Amsterdam

Time for a Holi-Day! Where are Indians travelling for Holi this year

It's that time of the year when the weather is still pleasant for a quick getaway before it gets too hot. With the festival of colours just round the corner coupled with a long weekend, Indians travellers are taking this opportunity to spend the Holi weekend away from home. Ahead of the upcoming long weekend, Booking.com, the world’s digital travel leader connecting travellers with the widest choice of unique places to stay, today revealed the top booked domestic destinations and accommodation types by Indian travellers from March 18, 2022 to March 20, 2022 to celebrate Holi. 

While classic city breaks to metros like New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru continue, travelers are opting for mini-vacations to leisurely beach destinations like Goa and Puducherry as well as hill stations like Rishikesh and Lonavala. While travellers are exploring varied options for accommodation, hotels continue to be the top booked accommodation type followed by resorts and guest houses.

Travel trends during Holi 

As travellers look forward to enjoying the long weekend by booking a staycation or taking a short and laid back holiday here are the top booked destinations by Indian travellers traveling within India from March 18, 2022 to March 20, 2022*                                                         

  1. New Delhi
  2. Mumbai
  3. Goa
  4. Rishikesh
  5. Bengaluru
  6. Jaipur
  7. Lonavala
  8. Puducherry
  9. Udaipur
  10. Agra
     

Top booked accommodation types by Indian travellers travelling domestically from March 18, 2022 to March 20, 2022 

  1. Hotels
  2. Resorts
  3. Guest houses
  4. Hostels 
  5. Homestays 


Looking for some inspiration to plan your holi-day?
Goa: Freckled with beaches and churches, Goa is an all-time paradise for all which can be easily reached by road, rail, and air. While the most popular beaches of Baga, Calangute, Anjuna, and Colva are must-visits, the secret hidden Palolem and Ashvem beach should also be added in your list this time. And if you are looking for some lesser-known Instagrammable spots for your social media, a must-visit are the Reis Magos Fort, Cabo De Rama Fort, and Fontainhas, the old Latin quarters of Goa. So relax on the sun-kissed beaches of Goa over a bottle of fenny and a plate of seafood in this Holi holiday. 

Rishikesh: The best place to unwind after a hectic week. Celebrate Holi at Rishikesh, the spiritual and adventure capital of India. Known for white water rafting, cliff jumping, temples, cafes, and the famous Beatles ashram there is no better place to combine celebration and vacation. Explore the lanes of Rishikesh, be a part of the Ganga aarti at Haridwar, and enjoy Holi amidst nature. March is a wonderful time to visit Rishikesh. Just when spring is knocking on the door, the place takes on an alluring charm. 

Jaipur: Come Celebrate Holi in the pink city! With so many forts, palaces, museums, markets, restaurants and parks to visit, Jaipur offers a unique charm of its own. The colourful streets and people covered in gulaal would sure be a treat to your eyes. You can also indulge in some mouth-watering gujiyas (a traditional Indian sweet) and other sweets to add to the fervor of Holi.

Lonavala: If you are looking at isolating yourself from the chaos of the city then head to Lonavala. Great for the Holi break, Lonavala is around 80 km from Mumbai. While in Lonavala some of the places you can visit are the Rajmachi, Visapur, and Lohagad forts, the ancient Karla (Lonavala), and Bhaja (Khandala) caves, Lonavala Lake, Tiger’s Leap point, and the Kune waterfalls. Lonavala also offers some great trekking and hiking opportunities for adventurous souls.

Puducherry: The only place in India with French colonial architecture, Puducherry is a great place for the upcoming long Holi weekend. Some of the places you can visit in Puducherry are the famous Sri Aurobindo Ashram, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Puducherry Botanical Gardens, and Promenade Beach. If you are in the mood for some adventure you can even go scuba diving or surfing.  End the day with a peaceful walk around Seaside Promenade, just what you need on a holiday!

To make festive travel even more exciting, Booking.com is offering ‘Early 2022 Deal’ on select properties where travellers can save 20% or more on participating properties and indulge in the festival of colors with their family and loved ones. Happy Holi-daying!

Ritu Mehrotra, Regional Commercial Director APAC, Booking.com’ said ‘For nearly 2 years, travel limitations and working from home have caused travellers to restrict themselves in terms of the places they want to visit. While the world is still reeling from the impact of the pandemic, travellers want to take a step back, relax and embrace the experiences that they have missed out on. While the primary motivation for leisure travel is to break away from the monotony of everyday life, travellers are looking to engage in new experiences and reconnect once again with friends and family. With our mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, we will continue to be there for our customers offering the widest choice, great value and the easiest booking experience from anywhere and on any device, as it becomes safe to do so.”

Methodology: 
*This forward-looking data is based on bookings made by travellers from March 18, 2022 to March 20, 2022  and is subject to changes on the basis of cancellations.

About Booking.com

Established in 1996 in Amsterdam, Booking.com B.V. has grown from a small Dutch start-up to one of the largest travel e-commerce companies in the world. Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com now employs more than 17,000 employees in 198 offices in 70 countries worldwide. With a mission to empower people to experience the world, Booking.com invests in digital technology that helps take the friction out of travel. At Booking.com, we connect travellers with the world’s largest selection of incredible places to stay, including everything from apartments, vacation homes, and family-run B&Bs to 5-star luxury resorts, tree houses and even igloos. The Booking.com website and mobile apps are available in 43 languages, offer over 29 million total reported listings, including more than 5.8 million listings of homes, apartments and other unique places to stay, and covers more than 144,000 destinations in 229 countries and territories worldwide. Each day, more than 1.5 million room nights are reserved on our platform. So whether travelling for business or leisure, customers can instantly book their ideal place to stay quickly and easily with Booking.com, without booking fees and backed up by our promise to price match. Via our customer experience team, customers can reach Booking.com 24/7 for assistance and support in over 40 languages, any time of the day or night.