Festive travel bookings surge 50% for 2026 as repeat trips become common

According to Zostel’s Festive Travel Pulse 2026, the upcoming festive season is seeing a 50% increase in bookings compared with the previous year, with November alone up 43%. Travelers are favoring multiple short getaways, as 23% booked more than one trip between October and December last year, and the average stay is two nights. The most-booked spots so far are Hampi, Gokarna, Varkala, Rishikesh and Jaipur, while Himalayan towns such as Sangla and Kalpa are experiencing the quickest growth.

Most reservations are made within a week of arrival, with many booked on the day of check-in. Solo travelers account for over half of the bookings, with couples and groups of three or more making up the rest. Women represent more than a fifth of guests, and the main source cities are Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad.