Thailand has become the leading international destination for Indian travellers in the year-end period, overtaking the UAE, according to booking data for 2025 from MakeMyTrip.
With just days left for 2026 to kick in, MakeMyTrip has released a report indicating travel trends for the year-end period, highlighting how Indians have planned their holidays from December 20, 2025, to January 6, 2026.
Thailand has become the leading international destination for the New Year period, surpassing the UAE, which now ranks second. The top five international destinations also include Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
Vietnam has emerged as the fastest-growing preferred destination for Indian travellers. It moved from seventh place to become the fourth most-booked international location, indicating increased interest in short-haul and budget-friendly overseas travel.
Some of the other top international destinations are Indonesia, Singapore, the UK, the US and Hong Kong.
“Short-haul international travel also continues to see momentum, led by familiar regions even as newer destinations begin to gain traction. The impact of easier visa and visa-free access is playing out consistently, reinforcing India’s growing appetite for outbound travel,” said Rajesh Magow, Co-founder & Group CEO, MakeMyTrip.
Domestic tourism showed steady growth during the year-end period. Top destinations included Goa, Jaipur, Udaipur, Manali, and Jaisalmer, with hill stations such as Munnar, Darjeeling, Ooty, and Mussoorie also reporting high bookings.
In terms of domestic packages, Kerala ranked first, followed by Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, the Andaman Islands and Tamil Nadu.
Additionally, several Indian travellers are choosing the New Year period for spiritual journeys. Pilgrimage travel made up 24.8% of bookings in 2025, compared to 22.9% last year, and leisure travel accounted for 77.1% this year.
Places such as Puri, Varanasi, Madurai, Rameshwaram, Amritsar, Ayodhya, Ujjain, Dwarka, Udupi, and Tirupati remained popular among Indian travellers.
“The domestic tourism growth story continues during the year-end and New Year holiday period, with sustained demand across leisure and pilgrimage destinations. Travellers are showing willingness to upgrade accommodation, and are increasingly combining leisure breaks with spiritually enriching journeys,” said Magow.
The report also highlighted the premiumisation trend, with the ₹2,500- ₹5,000 per night category experiencing slight moderation. Meanwhile, the ₹5,000- ₹7,500 segment gained market share, indicating that travellers are now interested to pay more for hotels and homestays.
Curated by Ahmed Ibrahim
