Global getaways replace hometown holidays this festive season: RateGain
Traveller-1
Cities like Doha up 350%, Bangkok 210%, and Dubai 149% over last year.
New flight booking data from Adara, a RateGain company shows that Indian travellers are heading out, not just home. From Doha to Dubai, Bangkok to Bali, bookings to international destinations have surged, with cities like Doha up 350%, Bangkok 210%, and Dubai 149% over last year.
Behind this shift is said to be a perfectly placed long weekend, and suddenly, the idea of an international Diwali becomes more viable and appealing. The line between celebration and vacation is blurring, with travellers increasingly seeing the festive season as an opportunity to reset, explore, and reconnect, not at home, but out in the world.
Airlines, OTAs, and travel platforms are fuelling the momentum with limited-time sales, festive fare deals, cashback offers, and curated packages designed specifically for Indian travellers. With price barriers lowered and planning made simpler, more people are finding it easier to swap traditional stay-ins for stamped passports and Diwali getaways that start at the gate.
Meanwhile, domestic travel shows mixed signs. While cities like Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Varanasi are seeing moderate upticks, bookings to major hubs like Delhi (-26%), Mumbai (-25%), and Chennai (-17%) have dipped. The trend is clear: fewer staycations, more stamps.
