Year-end travel demand gains strong momentum, says Ebix Travel report
Team L&M
Ebix Travel – Delphi World Money, has released year-end travel trend outlook. The trends indicate a resurgence in consumer confidence, supported by a steady rise in spending on leisure travel. It reflects how travelers are planning earlier, exploring experience-led holidays, and allocating higher budgets for year-end getaways, indicating a strong and optimistic close to the travel calendar year.
With December flight bookings, currently tracking 20–25 per cent higher year-on-year, pointing to a strong and resilient year-end travel season. The data reveals that Indian travelers are planning earlier and spending more on memorable experiences. The average booking lead time for festive travel has risen by 10–15 cent, extending to approximately 23–25 days this year. This early planning mindset reflects a desire to secure better pricing, especially around the highly sought-after holiday window between December 24 and January 2.
Commenting on the trends, Ankur Sharmaa, Chief Business Officer at Ebix Travel – Delphi World Money says, “The surge in advance travel planning and experience-focused spending reflects a distinct shift in consumer confidence and travel behavior. Indian travelers are approaching the year-end season with purposeful intent to make their holidays count. We are seeing stronger demand across air travel and destination activities, driven by a renewed focus on quality experiences and culturally rich destinations.”
Rise in experience-led itineraries
Experience-led itineraries are emerging as a major trend. Searches for in-destination activities, such as adventure trails, cultural tours, and local explorations, have risen by 24 cent compared to last year, highlighting the evolution of leisure preferences from simple hotel stays to immersive travel. Travel preferences are reshaping the domestic landscape, with bookings for destinations in Rajasthan (Jaipur–Udaipur) and Kerala have soared by 35 cent year-on-year, outpacing Goa’s 15 cent growth rate. This strong momentum reflects a shift in demand toward domestic holiday destinations across the West and South. In contrast, northern leisure circuits, especially the Kashmir region have seen a 15 cent decline.
Meanwhile, the appetite for seasonal winter getaways remains robust, with flight searches to alternative mountain destinations such as Manali and Himachal Pradesh up by 40 cent year-on-year, compared to a 25–30 cent increase for coastal destinations. This underscores a balanced but evolving seasonal demand pattern, where travelers still seek the winter experience while favoring destinations known for accessibility and reliability.
