With 80-100% Y-o-Y Growth In Bookings, Thailand, Vietnam, London & Bali Emerge As Top International Destinations This Winter

2025 is almost here and year-end travel is always a big deal for travellers! Keeping this in mind, ixigo and AbhiBus have revealed some interesting data showing a fascinating shift in travel preferences this winter season. From mountain escapades to an inclination towards culturally rich cities offering a mix of diverse experiences, here are some interesting travel choices by travellers this winter.

Int’l Travel Witnesses 80-100% Y-o-Y Growth This Year-End Travel Season

With an 80-100% Y-o-Y growth in flight bookings, ixigo found destinations like Thailand, Vietnam, London, and Bali have emerged as the top picks for international travel this winter. On the domestic front, destinations like Jammu, Srinagar, and Dehradun witnessed a huge spike in bookings. This underscores an interest in mountain escapades this year, a contrast from high demands in beachside getaways last year.

Additionally, travellers are gravitating towards culturally rich cities offering a mix of diverse experiences—beaches, nightlife, and culture. Here are the top international and domestic destinations booked, along with the Y-o-Y increase in flight bookings between December 20, 2024, to January 2, 2025 –

International destinations –

1. Bangkok – 166%
2. Phuket – 168%
3. Abu Dhabi – 174%
4. Colombo – 37%
5. Singapore – 53%
6. London – 80%
7. Vietnam – 102%
8. Bali – 96%
9. Dubai – 48%

Domestic destinations –

1. Jammu – 147%
2. Srinagar – 66%
3. Dehradun – 87%
4. Udaipur – 126%
5. Goa – 52%
6. Jaipur – 51%
7. Leh – 30%

Aloke Bajpai, Group CEO of ixigo, also revealed, “For the first time, Maldives has not featured in the top 10 most-searched destinations for year-end travel, reflecting a growing preference for more varied and immersive vacations over traditional hotspots.”

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Solo Bus Travel Among Women Rise By 51%

AbhiBus also revealed some interesting winter travel data for this year. According to them, the year-end holiday season is driving a significant surge in bus travel. Interestingly, they have noted a strong preference for spiritual hotspots over leisure destinations, as 6 travellers are choosing a spiritual journey for every 1 opting for leisure.

Rohit Sharma, Chief Operating Officer, AbhiBus shared, “We’ve observed a remarkable 50% Y-o-Y increase in bookings from female solo travellers, as more women embrace bus journeys for their year-end travel plans. Interestingly, 39% of travellers are heading to tier II, and III cities, showcasing AbhiBus’ expanding reach to connect people with destinations beyond the metros.”

The data showed that Goa, Pondicherry, Manali, and Gokarna are the ‘Top Leisure Destinations’ for this season. Meanwhile, Tirupati, Shirdi, Varanasi, Ujjain, and Srisailam are the ‘Top Spiritual Destinations’.

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So, where are you planning to travel during the year-end period? Let us know in the comments.

Cover Image Courtesy: Canva (representative image)