India’s Wedding Season Is Boosting Year-End Travel

The upcoming Indian wedding season will be driving a surge in travel, according to online travel company Ixigo. “Flight bookings to major metro hubs and top leisure destinations like Delhi, Mumbai, Srinagar, Jaipur and Goa are seeing a strong 70-80% year-on-year increase,” said Ixigo’s Group CEO Aloke Bajpai.

Around 4.8 million weddings are estimated to take place during the period between November 12 and December 16 this year, according to Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).

Bajpai added that Tier-2 cities are “powering the wedding season” this year, as travel to these cities has witnessed a significant rise. “Varanasi bookings are up by 265% and Gorakhpur by 109%. Amritsar, Chandigarh and Patna have also recorded an increase of over 70% in flight bookings.”

Weddings are also leading to international travel as overseas destinations are top choices among honeymooners. “Travel to Southeast Asia and the Middle East is booming, with hotspots like Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Dubai, and Kuala Lumpur seeing a 120-130% year-on-year rise in bookings for November and December,” he said. 

Indian Weddings and Tourism: Indian weddings are extravagant affairs. In an earlier feature, Skift Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia had reported that between November 23 and December 15, 2023, about 3.5 million couples tied the knot in India leading to spending that totaled around INR 4.25 trillion ($57 billion). There’s also a growing trend to host these grand weddings at luxury hospitality venues.

In 2023, Marriott hosted over 900 weddings in India, contributing nearly 10% to its revenues in India. Hilton also selected Jaipur as the city to launch the Astoria Waldorf brand. Alan Watts, Hilton’s Asia Pacific president had said, “If you’re going to do uber-luxury in the India market, you need to do it in Rajasthan, so you can attract high-end weddings because that’s where the true dollar value is.”

Destination weddings are also on a rise. Parthip Thyagarajan, CEO of wedding planning portal WeddingSutra.com had earlier told Skift, “Due to social media, there is more personalization of as many elements of weddings as possible. Experiences continue to count, and there is an interest in exploring new destinations, even if for pre-wedding festivities.”

Hotels continue to benefit from the wedding business. About 1 in every 4 weddings at the Ramee Group of Hotels’ properties is a destination wedding, Saurabh Gahoi, senior vice president of Ramee Group of Hotels previously told Skift.

In its latest earnings call, Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) CEO Puneet Chhatwal said that a 30% increase in auspicious dates for weddings this year will lead to a comfortable delivery of double-digit revenue growth in the second half of the 2025 fiscal year. “Weddings was, is and remains a very important part of hospitality business for Asia in general and India in particular. And we see only more spending on weddings and not less,” he said.

Hilton to Launch Spark Brand in India

Hilton Hotels is launching its premium economy brand ‘Spark by Hilton’ in India, marking the brand’s debut in the Asia-Pacific region. The company plans to open 150 Spark hotels across India, starting in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, as it aims to tap into the fast-growing mid-market segment across major and emerging cities in the country.

“Spark by Hilton will address a gap in the Indian market, offering affordable stays without compromise and capturing unmet demand for value and consistency across major and smaller cities,” said Alan Watts, president of Hilton Asia Pacific.

Hilton’s expansion in India aligns with the country’s broader hospitality boom, supported by government investments in tourism infrastructure and a growing appetite for domestic and international travell. In 2024, Hilton expanded its portfolio in South Asia with openings in Nepal and new properties in India’s Surat, Jabalpur and Gurugram.

Data We Love: Indians and Business Class

Indians are increasingly booking business class seats on airplanes to travel. A report by online travel company MakeMyTrip for the period between June 2023 to May 2024 noted that searches for business class flights in the international segment increased by 10%. This increase was the highest in Hong Kong: 131%. 

This has led to budget carrier IndiGo launching a business class cabin configuration with its first flight taking off last week from Delhi to Mumbai. Skift had earlier reported that the move was meant to meet the growing demand for luxury and premium travel. Travel industry players had said that the increase in disposable incomes and aspirations among Indian travelers have led to a demand for premium travel offerings, and the demand is expected to continue as a fundamental shift in preferences. 

EaseMyTrip Announces an Acquisition

Online travel company EaseMyTrip is looking to foray into the international study tourism market. It has announced that it will acquire a 49% stake in Planet Education Australia, a platform to help students secure university admissions, internships, and visas. 

EaseMyTrip CEO Nishant Pitti said that every year, lakhs of students pursue higher education abroad. “Our acquisition is a strategic step to enter the burgeoning international study tourism, allowing us to offer a seamless, end-to-end experience that integrates both education and travel services for our customers. Leveraging Planet Education’s expertise, we aim to simplify the process of visas and documentation for students, making it hassle-free,” he said.

Vietravel Launches Tourism Venture in India

Vietravel Group has launched a tourism venture in India called Viet India Travel. The firm aims to offer unique travel experiences for visitors from India and Vietnam. At the launch, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Nguyen Thanh Hai said that the tourism industries in the two countries are expected to grow with the increase of direct flights between the two countries. 

Ngo Minh Quan, director of Inbound Department at Vietravel, said the launch would allow the group to cater specifically to the demand among Indian travelers. The move comes as India witnesses a rise in travel spending and as Indian travelers prefer Vietnam as a travel destination. 

International Flights Commence at Andaman and Nicobar Islands

International flight operations have finally commenced at the Indian archipelago of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. While the Port Blair airport was granted international status over two decades ago, but it was over the weekend that Air Asia’s flight from Kuala Lumpur landed at the airport for the first time. 

Tourism in Andaman and Nicobar has been hindered due to limited air connectivity. The commencement of international flights by Air Asia is expected to lead to a ripple effect of more international direct flights from the archipelago.