Mumbai, 26 December 2025: The year 2025 emerged as a defining chapter for India’s travel industry — fueled by cultural events, concerts, religious gatherings, and liberalized visa norms that kept wanderlust alive throughout the year.
According to ixigo’s “The Great Indian Travel Index 2025”, India’s leading AI-based travel platform, the country witnessed a sharp surge in travel intent across all transport modes. Searches for flights grew by 45% year-on-year (YoY), train bookings rose by 20%, and bus bookings jumped by 42% compared to 2024, underscoring India’s growing appetite for travel.
OTT-Inspired Wanderlust: Northeast India Shines
Streaming platforms didn’t just dominate screens in 2025 — they also reshaped India’s travel map. Popular OTT shows such as The Family Man (Season 3), Paatal Lok (Season 2), and Delhi Crime (Season 3) spotlighted the Northeast’s scenic landscapes and vibrant cultures, igniting real-world curiosity among travelers.
This translated into impressive travel momentum: flight bookings to Dimapur soared by 77%, Agartala by 48%, and Guwahati and Imphal by 44% each, while Itanagar saw a 42% rise. The region’s cinematic portrayal inspired thousands of Indians to explore its unfiltered charm first-hand.
Gen Z Fuels India’s Spiritual Travel Boom
One of 2025’s biggest travel trends was faith and spirituality, driven by Gen Z’s quest for meaningful, experience-led journeys. Events like the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj triggered massive travel spikes — bus bookings by Gen Z travelers surged 20x YoY, while the most expensive domestic flight on ixigo that year was a Mumbai–Prayagraj ticket priced at ₹92,644 during the Kumbh period.
Pilgrimage destinations dominated the travel charts:
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Varanasi (+134%), Tirupati (+102%), and Prayagraj (+80%) led the growth in flight bookings.
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Ayodhya (+54%), Shirdi (+26%), and Amritsar (+24%) followed close behind.
Bus bookings also saw exceptional increases:
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Varanasi (+111%), Mathura (+99%), Ayodhya (+86%), Rishikesh (+81%), Haridwar (+73%), Amritsar (+61%), and Gaya (+55%) emerged as top choices.
Train bookings echoed this trend, with notable rises to Rishikesh (+43%), Prayagraj (+35%), Gaya (+28%), Dwarka (+26%), and Ujjain (+25%).
East Asia Tops Global Travel Charts
Indian travelers looked eastward in 2025, with East and Southeast Asia emerging as the most sought-after international regions. Japan (+63%), South Korea (+61%), Vietnam (+57%), and Thailand (+53%) led the pack — a testament to India’s growing fascination with cultural and experience-led travel.
Traditional favorites like Sri Lanka (+42%) and Indonesia (+36%) continued to attract strong demand, while the Middle East and emerging destinations gained traction — led by Oman (+71%), Kenya (+65%), Kazakhstan (+54%), UAE (+52%), Uzbekistan (+49%), and Qatar (+45%).
Hills Stay Hot, Coasts Stay Cool
Within India, hill destinations and coastal getaways continued to dominate traveler preferences.
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Hill favorites: Dehradun (+64%) and Srinagar (+58%) led air travel growth, while train and bus bookings doubled for Srinagar, Dehradun (+99%), Shimla (+29%), and Manali (+17%).
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Coastal escapes: Port Blair (+81%), Coimbatore (+47%), and Goa (+27%) saw major flight booking surges.
Interestingly, 2025 redefined India’s monsoon season — once a travel lull — into a leisure trend. Monsoon travel demand jumped 35–40% YoY, with destinations like Lonavala, Munnar, Mahabaleshwar, and Udaipur attracting short-haul, nature-led getaways.
Insights from ixigo Leadership
Aloke Bajpai, Group CEO, and Rajnish Kumar, Group Co-CEO of ixigo, shared:
“What truly stood out in The Great Indian Travel Index 2025 was the scale and diversity of travel demand across the country. Faith-led travel emerged as a powerful driver, with destinations like Varanasi alone witnessing nearly 147 million visits in 2025.
Rising disposable incomes and better connectivity are expanding the travel ecosystem. Over 50% of new flight bookers from our NBU app users are first-time flyers — showing how new travelers are joining the market.
Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities like Rishikesh, Indore, Nagpur, Bhopal, Lucknow, and Assam are now shaping India’s travel story, with metro-to-emerging city bus routes growing nearly 80% YoY. These trends prove that India’s travel landscape is rooted in culture, belief, and aspiration — cutting across generations and geographies.”
India’s Travel Future Looks Unstoppable
ixigo’s 2025 data paints a picture of a vibrant, inclusive, and experience-driven travel ecosystem. With growing connectivity, digital adoption, and cultural curiosity, India’s travelers are not just moving more — they’re exploring deeper, venturing farther, and redefining what it means to travel.
