Representative image of flight.
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Bengaluru: As domestic air passenger traffic hits all time highs, India is expecting around 35 lakh weddings between November 23 and December 15 this year, driving a 70-80 per cent year-on-year (YoY) increase in flight bookings to major metros and leisure destinations, according to data by online travel aggregator (OTA) ixigo shared on Monday.
Bengaluru, with an 84 per cent YoY increase, bagged the second top spot in leading domestic destinations booked for November, with New Delhi first on the list with a 55 per cent YoY increase.
Tier-II cities are showing significant growth. For example, Varanasi saw a 265 per cent increase in bookings while Gorakhpur saw a rise of 109 per cent.
Aloke Bajpai, Group CEO, ixigo, said, "Flight bookings to major metro hubs and top leisure destinations like Delhi, Mumbai, Srinagar, Jaipur, and Goa seeing a strong 70-80 per cent YoY increase. Tier-II cities are powering the wedding season this year. Amritsar, Chandigarh and Patna have also recorded an increase of over 70 per cent in flight bookings.”
International travel is booming, particularly to Southeast Asia and the Middle East, with destinations like Phuket (270 per cent increase) and Kuala Lumpur (244 per cent increase) leading. This comes in the backdrop of many tourists, particularly from tier-I cities, opting for international destinations over domestic which are at comparable fares.
Hotspots like Singapore, Vietnam, and Thailand are seeing a 120-130 per cent YoY rise in bookings for November and December. Dubai tops the list for international destinations booked in November, with a 62 per cent increase YoY. Bangkok is second with a 112 per cent increase, followed by Bali (148 per cent).
Bajpai added, “With more Indians opting for international getaways, overseas destinations are top choices for honeymooners this season.”
Airfares across metro cities and leisure destinations have dropped by 20-25 per cent YoY in November and December. Key routes like Delhi-Bengaluru, Mumbai-Delhi, Chennai-Kolkata, Delhi-Goa, and Bengaluru-Jaipur have experienced significant price drops.