With Holi falling on 14 March (Friday) and Eid expected on 31 March (Monday), travellers are seizing the back-to-back long weekends, sending hotel rates soaring.
Luxury stays are commanding record prices. In Agra, Oberoi Amarvilas near the Taj Mahal is charging ₹1 lakh per night, while in Varanasi, Taj Nadesar Palace costs ₹1.35 lakh, excluding taxes.
Other top-tier stays are also seeing steep markups. In Varanasi, Brijrama Palace—By The Ganges is priced upwards of ₹77,000 a night, while a Holi weekend stay at Goa’s Taj Exotica costs ₹37,000 per night, dipping slightly to ₹35,000 for Eid. Meanwhile, Westin Rishikesh has crossed ₹37,000 per night.
At the high end, wealthy Indian travellers are opting for quick getaways to Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Seychelles, Bali, Hong Kong, Macau, and Thailand.
Some high net-worth travellers are booking luxury holiday packages to nearby international destinations, with many high-end options already sold out, said Radhika Khanijo, founder of Delhi-based Welgrow Travels, which caters to premium travelers.
Another travel agency, STIC Travel Group, has seen early demand for these long weekends. A lot of travellers booked their packages a month in advance, with Sri Lanka, Thailand, and other locations already sold out, said Subhash Goyal, chairperson of STIC Travel Group.
The holiday-driven surge follows the 600-million-strong pilgrimage rush to Prayagraj’s Maha Kumbh in January and February. Now, demand is spilling over into Holi hotspots like Mathura and Vrindavan, beach destinations like Goa, and international retreats in Southeast Asia.
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Pricing surge and booking trends
With a spurt in domestic trips to Holi hotspots like Varanasi and Mathura, five-star hotels are seeing a 20-25% surge in pricing for the Holi weekend. The Eid weekend later in March is also seeing a 10-15% increase in room rates over the usual averages.
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“While our city hotels will show the typical weekend trend, we are expecting just shy of 80% occupancy across our resort portfolio for the Holi weekend. We will also see double digit average daily room rate growth,” said Monisha Dewan, vice president sales and distribution for South Asia, at Marriott International which runs brands like Westin and JW Marriott.
The destinations which are seeing an increase are its hotels in Goa, Mahabaleshwar, Mussoorie, Uttarakhand and its Aravalli property in Faridabad. The average daily rate is a key metric used by hoteliers to measure room revenue.
Airlines are tapping into the demand surge with targeted fare discounts.
Akasa Air is offering up to 15% discounts on both domestic and international routes, while IndiGo has launched a three-day Holi sale, with domestic fares starting at ₹1,200 and international at ₹4,200. However, with most Indian travellers booking within seven days of departure, airlines appear to be using targeted sales to capture last-minute demand.
Among domestic routes, cities such as Patna, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Goa are seeing strong airline bookings, along with leisure destinations like Jaipur, Puducherry, Ooty, Srinagar, Mahabaleshwar, Corbett, and Wayanad.
Yatra Online Ltd has reported a 10-15% increase in bookings compared to the same month last year. However, the travel momentum this March appears weaker than January and February’s Mahakumbh-driven surge.
“Typically, March is strong for international travel, though some Indian families avoid vacations due to school exams. However, we are seeing an uptick from younger couples and travellers without children,” said Bharatt Malik, senior vice president for air and hotel business at Yatra.
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On average, hotel prices are up 10% compared to last year, though industry executives attribute this to an already high base in 2023, when hotel rates were at peak levels. Demand is similar to last year, but higher room rates and airfares are driving up overall revenues.
Looking ahead, rating agency Icra Ltd expects the domestic hospitality industry’s revenues to grow by 7-9% year-on-year in FY25 and 6-8% in FY26, building on the strong base of FY24. Pan-India premium hotel occupancy is also projected to rise to 72-74% in FY26, from 70-72% in FY25.
Long weekends remain a key driver of travel, accounting for over 10% of Yatra’s total leisure business. “For both weekends this month, we’re seeing people looking for markets where they can drive to and check into resorts with all inclusive stay packages,” Malik added.
Popular destinations include the usual suspects around Holi–Varanasi, Ayodhya, Mathura, Vrindavan and others in the Uttar Pradesh belt where the festival is celebrated.
Hotel booking costs have surged by 20-25%, with average room rates increasing by 18-22% for the upcoming weekend and about 10-15% over the next weekend, Malik said.
For villa rentals, SaffronStays co-founder Devendra Parulekar said bookings have grown 25% over last March, driven partly by new inventory additions. While pricing for villas and holiday homes remains unchanged from last year, demand has shifted toward private getaways near major cities.
“At present it’s all about the Holi weekend for us. We are not seeing much demand for Eid yet because the day could change. But what’s attracting holidaymakers is that there is no change in our villa and holiday home pricing over last year,” said Parulekar.
“Markets being slightly depressed is also impacting discretionary spends on travel. But we’re seeing 25% growth in demand as compared to last year’s March. This growth is also on the back of the new additional supply we’ve added to our portfolio,” he added.
Drive-to markets near Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru are emerging as top picks for travellers seeking villa stays. In Bhilvale, in Maharashtra, a nine-guest booking at Casa Manga includes a designated space for Holi celebrations. Meanwhile, a family of 11 has booked the 7 Seas seven-bedroom villa in Alibaug, where rates this weekend are hovering around ₹75,000 a night.
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Beyond luxury stays, travellers are also booking religious and cultural escapes. Santosh Kumar, country manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Indonesia at Booking.com, said destinations like Puri and Lonavala are seeing strong demand.
The company declined to share specific booking figures.
As Holi and Eid fuel a fresh wave of travel, industry players are watching whether this momentum will carry forward into the summer season—or if high prices will start weighing on demand.
