Long Holi weekend boosts travel searches and hotel bookings

The long Holi weekend is driving up travel searches and room rates in the last month of the fiscal year. Rooms at the Westin Resort & Spa Himalayas and Leela Palace Udaipur could set you back by over ₹45,000 on March 14, as per Booking.com. According to RateGain, a global provider of AI-powered travel and hospitality software solutions, hotel bookings for Holi are up 105% compared with last year, as Indians plan long weekend getaways around the festival.

"Online searches are up 30% versus last year for Holi and the extended weekend," said SD Nandakumar, president and country head for holidays and corporate tours at SOTC Travel. "What is interesting is that despite a marginal increase in airfares of 5-8% to popular Holi hubs like Vrindavan, Rajasthan, Gujarat and West Bengal, we are witnessing a strong interest from the traveller segment towards regional celebrations," he added.

Travellers are keen to witness and celebrate the festival with the local touch and traditions and are considering the Holi Elephant Festival in Jaipur, the Manjal Kuli in Kerala and Hola Mohalla in Punjab that commemorates the bravery of Sikh warriors besides the Dolyatra (Basant Utsav) in West Bengal, he said. Rajeev Kale, president and country head for holidays, MICE and Visa at Thomas Cook (India), said drivecations to nearby destinations are also witnessing an uptick.

"Customers in and around Delhi are keen on short, driveable holidays to places such as Naukuchiatal, Munsiyari, Kangra and Kanatal, while Rajmachi, Igatpuri, Lonavala, Matheran, and Mahabaleshwar are on the radar of travellers in Maharashtra," he said. "Short-haul visa-free, easy-visa outbound destinations witnessing high interest include Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Dubai, Abu Dhabi. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan," he added.

With Holi falling on a Friday this year, Indian travellers are capitalising on the long weekend with a mix of festive celebrations and leisure travel, said Santosh Kumar, country manager for India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia at Booking.com. "Udaipur, Mumbai and Rishikesh lead as the top three most searched domestic destinations during the festive period. Destinations renowned for their vibrant Holi celebrations, like Vrindavan, Mathura, Pushkar, Jaipur, Shantiniketan and Hampi are also witnessing a surge in searches," he said.

Shahzad Aslam, head of sales at Leisure Hotels Group, said the chain is seeing 100% occupancy at most of its flagship properties for the upcoming Holi long weekend.

Rajesh Chakraborty, cluster general manager, operations and general manager at Taj Hotel & Convention Centre, Agra, said the "hotel is positioned at 90% occupancy for March 13 and 14 as on date".

Hari Ganapathy, cofounder of Pickyourtrail, said honeymooners are leading the travel surge for the upcoming long weekend followed by families for his company.