In India, people are always waiting for the right chance to plan their much-awaited trips. Thanks to long weekends and festivals, they get plenty of opportunities throughout the year. Taking a closer look at how Indians travelled this year, ixigo released The Great Indian Travel Index 2025, revealing travel trends across everything from short bus journeys to international flights. Scroll down to know more!
How Did Indians Travel This Year?
According to ixigo’s The Great Indian Travel Index 2025, travel demand grew strongly across all modes of transport. Flight searches saw a 45% year-on-year rise, train searches increased by 20%, and bus searches went up by 42% compared to 2024, clearly showing a growing intent to travel among Indians.
Entertainment also influenced how people chose their destinations this year. Popular OTT shows such as The Family Man Season 3, Paatal Lok Season 2, and Delhi Crime Season 3 brought India’s Northeast into the spotlight. The shows showcased the region’s scenic beauty and rich culture, sparking curiosity among viewers. Result? ixigo is recording a sharp rise in flight bookings to Dimapur (+77%), Agartala (+48%), Guwahati and Imphal (+44% each), and Itanagar (+42%).
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Rise In People Travelling To Spiritual Destinations
Pilgrimage destinations witnessed strong growth across flights, buses, and trains in 2025. Flight bookings rose sharply to Varanasi (134%) and Tirupati (102%), followed by Prayagraj (80%), Ayodhya (54%), Shirdi (26%), and Amritsar (24%). Bus travel also saw a major surge to pilgrimage hubs, with bookings to Varanasi (111%), Mathura (99%), Ayodhya (86%), Rishikesh (81%), Haridwar (73%), Amritsar (61%), and Gaya (55%).
Train travel recorded steady growth as well, with bookings to Rishikesh up 43%, Prayagraj 35%, Gaya 28%, Dwarka 26%, Mathura 26%, and Ujjain 25%.
International travel in 2025 showed a clear shift toward newer destinations. East and Southeast Asia led the way, with Japan (63%), South Korea (61%), Vietnam (57%), and Thailand (53%) seeing strong growth. Traditional favourites like Sri Lanka (42%) and Indonesia (36%) remained steady. Beyond Asia, emerging destinations such as Oman (71%), Kenya (65%), Kazakhstan (54%), the UAE (52%), Uzbekistan (49%), and Qatar (45%) gained popularity among Indian travellers.
Leisure travel within India also diversified. Hill destinations stayed in demand, with Dehradun (64%) and Srinagar (58%) leading on flights. Srinagar doubled on trains, while Dehradun (99%), Shimla (29%), and Manali (17%) grew on buses. Coastal getaways followed, led by Port Blair (81%), Coimbatore (47%), and Goa (27%). Monsoon trips grew 35 to 40%, as destinations like Lonavala, Munnar, Mahabaleshwar, and Udaipur attracted nature-led travellers, while Goa and Port Blair benefited from fewer crowds.
This year, where did you travel to? Tell us in the comments below!
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Cover Image Courtesy: Canva Pro/ Denish L Borah & Prime Video/ YouTube