What did 2019 look like for domestic and outbound travel?

Booking.com, the digital travel leader connecting travellers with the widest choice of unique places to stay, a range of must-do travel experiences and seamless transport options has today revealed the travel trends of 2019, including the fastest growing domestic and international destinations on Booking.com for Indian travellers. Further deep diving into nationalities visiting India, and top booked destinations in India per continent, the trends give a holistic overview of travel destinations and preferences of both Indian and international travellers travelling within and to India in 2019, and Indians travelling abroad.

Commenting on the trends, Ritu Mehrotra, Country Manager, India, Sri Lanka and Maldives at Booking.com said, “As we near the end of a decade and step into a new one, it’s interesting to see how travelling now has become more than a leisure activity alone, with travellers taking more experiential holidays. Indians are exploring destinations in India and abroad alike, it is no longer one over the other, as getaways become a frequent affair; and it’s even more delightful to see other nationalities traveling to India to explore the diverse cultural experiences that the country has to offer. We at Booking.com will continue to make it easier for everyone to experience the world by ensuring that they have the most diverse selection of places to stay no matter where they want to go and help them prepare and plan their holiday in 2020 and beyond.”

Decoding Indian travel preferences for 2019:

Beyond the metro cities like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata, top destinations booked by Indians travelling domestically in 2019 include travellers Hyderabad, Pune, Jaipur, Kochi and Mysore.

Fastest growing destinations for Indian travellers in 2019

Top booked states in India in 2019

Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Kerala made it to the list of the top 10 booked states in India, by both international travelling visiting India as well as Indians travelling within the country.

1. Delhi NCR
2. Maharashtra
3. Karnataka
4. Tamil Nadu
5. Rajasthan
6. Telangana
7. West Bengal
8. Kerala
9. Uttar Pradesh
10. Gujarat

Uncovering travel preferences of travellers from other countries visiting India in 2019:

• Fastest growing destinations for travellers travelling to India in 2019 are Rishikesh, Guwahati, Tiruchirappalli, Nedumbassery and Munnar
• Countries with the largest relative increase in bookings for India this year include Israel, Bangladesh, Poland, Japan and Singapore.
• Beyond the metro cities like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata, top destinations booked by travellers visiting India in 2019 are Jaipur, Hyderabad, Pune, Kochi and Agra.
• Rajasthan is among the most popular states in 2019, with travellers from North America, Africa and Asia having at least one destination from the state in their top 10 list while Europe, South America and Oceania have more than 2.
• Travellers from North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Oceania have Agra on their top 10 list whereas travellers from Asia have only metros in its top 10 list.
• While travellers from South America preferred exploring more of North India, travellers from North America preferred exploring South India.

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 bookings made from January 1, 2019 to November 30, 2019.