India’s Holi travel rush is translating into a sharp spike in air and bus bookings, with ixigo and its bus arm AbhiBus reporting more than 70% year-on-year growth across segments for the festive week.

The Gurugram-based online travel platform said flight bookings for the week of Holi 2026 have risen 70–75% compared to last year. Advance bus bookings have climbed over 70% year-on-year, as travellers plan homecomings and short breaks around the mid-week festival.

Tier 2 and 3 cities power festive travel

The strongest momentum is coming from smaller cities. Gorakhpur recorded a 94% jump in flight bookings year-on-year, followed by Bhopal at 89% and Kanpur at 86%. Darbhanga saw a 76% increase, while Varanasi rose 72%. Lucknow and Ranchi logged 68% and 67% growth respectively, with Patna up 54%.

Leisure destinations are also seeing brisk demand. Udaipur led the pack with a 94% rise in flight bookings, followed by Dehradun at 90% and Srinagar at 85%. Goa registered an 81% increase, Jaipur 73% and Darjeeling 65%.

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Metro cities, too, posted triple-digit growth in some cases. Ahmedabad topped the list with a 118% year-on-year surge in flight bookings for the Holi week. Hyderabad followed at 108% and Chennai at 101%. Kolkata recorded an 89% rise, while New Delhi and Pune were up 80% each. Bengaluru saw a 77% increase, and Mumbai recorded 54% growth.

Aloke Bajpai, co-founder and group CEO of ixigo, said the timing of the festival has shaped booking patterns this year. “Holi falling mid-week has unlocked something interesting this year — travellers aren't just celebrating for a day, they're building full travel experiences around it,” he said.

“What we're seeing is two distinct trends: a rush back to hometowns across Tier 2 and 3 India, and a parallel surge in leisure getaways to destinations like Udaipur, Srinagar, and Goa,” Bajpai added. “Overall, festive travel demand this season is being driven by a mix of homebound journeys, leisure escapes and cultural hotspots.”

Even according to Cleartrip’s PeekABoo travel trends tracker, Gorakhpur leads with a 95% year-on-year growth in bookings. The Northeast is drawing interest, with increased demand for Imphal, Dibrugarh, Guwahati and Agartala. Rajasthan destinations are also gaining traction, with bookings up 55% for Udaipur, 49% for Jodhpur and 44% for Jaipur. Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has seen a 51% rise.

“We're seeing a significant shift away from traditional metro-to-metro travel, with destinations offering unique cultural and natural experiences taking centre stage,” said Manjari Singhal, chief growth and business officer at Cleartrip.

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On the bus side

On the ground, buses are absorbing overflow demand amid long train waitlists, AbhiBus data shows strong growth on major intercity corridors, particularly as long waiting lists persist on high-demand train routes. Delhi–Lucknow and Delhi–Varanasi routes recorded over 60% year-on-year growth in advance bookings. Mumbai–Pune and Mumbai–Nagpur saw a 75% increase. Hyderabad–Vijayawada and Hyderabad–Bengaluru routes were up 70%, while the Bengaluru–Chennai corridor rose 65%. Eastern routes such as Kolkata–Durgapur and Patna–Ranchi also reported double-digit growth.

Women travellers are emerging as a significant contributor to bus demand. Advance bookings by women passengers rose nearly 80% year-on-year, with women accounting for close to 40% of total bus seats booked so far.

Cleartrip said travellers aged 25–34 are leading Holi travel this year, followed by the 15–24 age group. Stable airfares, which have not risen significantly compared to last year, and a nearly 48% jump in credit card usage for travel payments are enabling these trips.

“This clearly indicates that travellers are not just looking for a holiday; they are confidently investing in creating richer, more memorable experiences,” Singhal said.