Indian Festive Travellers Pivot to Sri Lanka, Japan and Vietnam, Agoda Reports

Online travel platform Agoda released a festive travel trends report on October 27, 2026, based on searches made between August 1 and September 30, 2026, for stays between October 15 and November 30. The data covers the Dussehra, Durga Puja and Diwali period and shows Indian travellers exploring an increasingly broad range of destinations. Sri Lanka recorded the highest country-level growth at nearly 262% year-on-year, followed by Hong Kong SAR at nearly 138%, Japan at 125%, Vietnam at 86% and Thailand at 55%. At city level, Bangkok grew 65% and Phuket 51%, while Phu Quoc in Vietnam surged 124%, Tokyo rose 109% — boosted by autumn foliage season — and Hanoi climbed 94%. Domestically, Puri led with 318% growth, followed by Ooty at 166%, Munnar at 107%, Varanasi at 92%, Goa at nearly 43% and Udaipur at nearly 29%. Gaurav Malik, Country Director, Indian Subcontinent & Indian Ocean Islands, Agoda, said travellers are now choosing destinations based on the experience they want — whether beach holidays, city breaks, cultural sites or hill station escapes — rather than simply following a conventional festive itinerary. Agoda offers more than 6 million holiday properties, over 130,000 flight routes and more than 300,000 activities worldwide.