With the Easter long weekend approaching this week, travel services company Trevolution Group has witnessed a 45% increase in demand for holiday weekend trips in India, even as value for money continues to remain a priority. There has been a 30% increase in demand for short weekend getaways, Alex Weinstein, founder of Dyninno Group and Trevolution Group, told Skift, noting that travelers are opting for quick domestic flights.
“We are observing a clear trend of Indian travelers leaning towards domestic and regional travel. Many are choosing to explore inland destinations and opt for short international getaways that are more cost-effective,” Weinstein said.
For outbound travel, the company has picked up “unusual demand” to destinations like Thailand and the UAE. “This makes it clear that travelers are using Easter break and are coupling it with official public holidays to enjoy slightly longer time off without committing to long-haul travel,” he said.
Slower Inbound and Outbound Travel: Trevolution has noted a decline in booking volumes for inbound and outbound travel. “While previously we were picking up an influx of travelers to India around Easter, this year the demand is a bit more reserved.”
Domestic destinations such as Goa, Amritsar, and Udaipur are witnessing an increase in travel demand for getaways, as enquiries for family-friendly locations are increasing. The most popular domestic routes this Easter season are Delhi-Amritsar, Hyderabad-Delhi, Delhi-Udaipur, Mumbai-Goa, and Hyderabad-Mumbai, the company noted.
Booking Window: Last-minute bookings for Easter also increased by 25% this year. However, Trevolution has noted that in general booking window has increased for Indian travelers. “While last year most travelers booked their flights up to 10 days before departure and required flexibility, this year we are seeing people planning significantly further in advance,” Weinstein said.
Premium Travel: Even as the majority of travelers are cost sensitive, Trevolution noted a growth in the customer segment that is willing to pay more for premium travel experiences. “Since last year, there has been a notable 20% increase in premium flight bookings, reflecting a rising preference for comfort and exclusivity. The trend has been especially evident among corporate travelers opting for business and first-class tickets, particularly on international routes. This demand for more premium class bookings is largely fueled by the rising popularity of combining business and leisure.”
Global Hotel Brands Zoom In on India
Within last week, six global hospitality brands announced major deals due to a mix of sustained domestic demand, an explosion in meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) and wedding travel, and a rapidly growing base of business and leisure travelers.
Accor laid out a roadmap to quintuple its growth pace in India, with plans to scale up to 300 in under five years, with 25-35 openings annually. This includes everything from lifestyle brands under Ennismore to affordable chains like Ibis and Mercure. Singapore’s The Ascott Limited on Thursday announced that it aims to expand its portfolio from 5,500 to 12,000 units by 2028, with a sharp focus on Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets.
IHG Hotels, meanwhile, is bringing its newest midscale brand, Garner, to India with two signings in Etawah in Uttar Pradesh and Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir. Marriott is planning to expand its premium Le Méridien brand in India with its new hotel in Mumbai. Marriott expects India to become the hotel chain’s third-largest market.
Radisson Hotels has crossed the 200-hotel milestone in India following the signing of five new properties. The company has 128 operational hotels in the country, with 77 more in the development pipeline. Hyatt is also doubling down on India with six of its seven new properties in Southwest Asia slated for Indian cities including Jaipur, Kochi, and Bhopal. Following the signing of 21 new projects in 2024 alone, Hyatt has set a goal of 100 hotels in India within the next five years.
India-Singapore Air Traffic Reaches Record High in 2024
The air passenger traffic between India and Singapore crossed 5.5 million passengers in 2024, a record high, according to data from Singapore Changi Airport (SIN). The traffic increased 12% year-on-year as compared to 2023, and was 15% higher than pre-Covid levels.
India is now Changi airport’s sixth-largest market with 280 flights a week. Carriers Singapore Airlines, Scoot, Air India, and IndiGo connect 16 Indian cities with Changi. The airport is now planning to add connectivity to cities such as Jaipur, Lucknow, Surat, and Chandigarh in order to capitalize on India’s growing aviation market and increasing demand for international travel.
Travel Sector Exposed to U.S. Tariffs Fallout: Tata Consultancy
Indian travel, retail, and automobile sectors are more exposed to fallout from the U.S. tariffs and could resort to cost-cutting if uncertainty continues, according to India’s largest IT company Tata Consultancy Services CEO K Krithivasan.
“The consumer business, hospitality business, travel, auto industry are the businesses that we have to watch out for. If the uncertainty continues for longer, those businesses may have to focus more on cost optimization,” he told Reuters, while adding that at this time, he has not heard of anything.
The company expects the uncertainty to be temporary, however, and Krithivasan expects the 2025-26 fiscal year to be better than 2024-25.
Accor Brings Pullman to Dehradun
Accor has signed a Pullman-branded hotel in Uttarakhand’s capital city Dehradun. The 200-key premium hotel will be located near the Dehradun Airport and will open in early 2029. Pullman Dehradun Airport is expected to cater to leisure travelers, business guests, and MICE groups.
The announcement comes as Accor is planning to expand its portfolio to 300 properties within India by 2030. It plans to grow all its brands, including luxury hotels such as Fairmont and Pullman, to mid-market brands such as Ibis and Mercure.
IndiGo To Shift Delhi Operations to From Terminal 2 to 1
Indian low-cost airline IndiGo is shifting all of its flights departing from and arriving at the Terminal 2 of Delhi airport to Terminal 1. Starting Tuesday, IndiGo will operate from Terminal 1 and 3.
Terminal 2 of Delhi airport will be shutting down for maintenance from Tuesday for about four months. All flights operating from the airport will be shifted to Terminal 1, which will operate at full capacity to accommodate additional traffic.
