Heritage travel bookings hit record 3-year high: Zostel Report

Report says that 1 in 7 trips now heading to cultural destination. Bookings have climbed to 83,235 in FY 2025–26 from 67,788 in FY 2023–24.

Zostel report shows that destinations that were once a half-day detour are now the whole reason people book a trip. This change is increasingly visible in the numbers. 14.9% of all bookings, roughly 1 in every 7 trips, are now directed towards heritage locations, the highest share seen in the past three years. Growth, too, is outpacing the rest of the portfolio. Bookings have climbed to 83,235 in FY 2025–26 from 67,788 in FY 2023–24, a steady rise that points to something more durable than a post-pandemic travel pike.

Heritage properties see a 48% higher share of international guests, particularly from the UK, Germany and France, and these visitors tend to stay longer, spending 14% more time on average than domestic travellers.

Budget travellers, historically associated with quick turnarounds and cost-first decisions, are now spending more nights at heritage destinations and booking further in advance. The direct booking rate of nearly 60% suggests these aren't impulsive stops. They are planned trips, with the heritage property at the centre of the itinerary rather than slotted in around it.

Also, Zostel reports that this is not the heritage tourism of guided buses and laminated itineraries. It is slower, more independent and more curious, shaped by people who want to eat inside the old city, sleep within walking distance of the fort and spend a second morning at the ruins because one wasn't enough.

Jodhpur leads with 14,065 bookings, followed by Jaipur at 12,615 and Hyderabad at 12,162. Mehrangarh Fort, the Walled City of Jaipur, and Charminar, along with Golconda Fort, continue to draw steady interest. Hampi, with 9,738 bookings, records the strongest momentum, with a 15.7% year-on-year increase, the fastest growth in Zostel's heritage portfolio. Udaipur, at 8,391 bookings, rounds out the top five.

More than half of all heritage bookings fall between October and February, a window that tracks almost perfectly with India's cultural events season. The Pushkar Fair, Hampi Utsav, and Taj Mahotsav each pull significant travel in their own right.