Cruises, self drive: 85% Indians plan more holidays, 84% to spend big

Indians are packing their bags—and their wallets—with renewed purpose. As per the India Holiday Report 2025 by Thomas Cook and SOTC, travel is no longer a luxury or a once-a-year indulgence. It's becoming a lifestyle priority, with 85% of Indians planning more frequent and longer holidays this year, and 84% ready to boost their travel budgets by up to 50%.
Cruises, self-drives, and scenic trains take center stage
Forget whirlwind sightseeing tours—today's Indian traveller prefers immersive journeys. Unique travel formats like cruise holidays (45%), self-drive road trips (35%), and scenic train journeys (20%) have gained serious traction. From European river cruises to panoramic rail rides in Switzerland, the shift reflects a desire for slower, more meaningful travel.
'Travellers are prioritizing depth, discovery and emotion,' sais Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. 'It's about curated comfort-first experiences rather than ticking off destinations.'
Digital Meets Human: Phygital Booking is the New Normal
Travel planning has gone hybrid. A growing number of Indians (58%) now blend online research with offline bookings through travel agents or call centers. While 68% book online, 59% still prefer talking to an expert, indicating the enduring trust in human touch and personalized advice.
This phygital model—a mix of digital and physical channels—is emerging as a strong conversion driver, catering to both tech-savvy millennials and value-seeking families.
Travel Styles: One Size Doesn't Fit All
When it comes to how Indians prefer to travel:
35% want partially guided tours with flexibility.
33% choose fully packaged, guided tours.
32% plan their holidays entirely on their own.
Here are the key findings of the report:
1. Key Holiday Drivers:
Influence of Social media, OTT platforms and Movies: 60% respondents indicated that social media, OTT platforms and movies are increasingly shaping their travel decisions
Simplified visa processes and easy access: 44% respondents are more likely to visit countries offering simplified visa processes like e-visa or visa-on-arrival options such as Thailand, Malaysia, UAE, Sri Lanka; while countries that issue long-term visas are also seeing uptick like the Australia, Japan, USA
Enhanced connectivity: 43% Introduction of new routes and direct flights are significantly improving accessibility - fuelling travel demand not just from metros, but significantly from India's rapidly growing Regional Tier 1 & 2 markets.
Indian consumers continue to remain value-seekers: 39% prefer to actively seek promotions. At the same time, there is a clear shift towards trusted travel brands for premium holiday experiences, reflecting a focus on reliability
2. Increased frequency of Holidays and Longer Stays:
Smart planning fuels mini-cations: 47% of respondents intend to leverage long weekends/ public holidays for short getaways.
Equally, Strong shift towards longer trips with 54% respondents preferring longer holidays by extending for an additional 5-10 days, to create holidays of an average of 8-15 days.
3. Strong Holiday Spend Intent:
Approximately 84% of respondents plan to increase their travel spends by 20-50% in 2025, with over 18% intending to boost budgets by a significant 50%. This mirrors a broader trend, where travellers are allocating more budgets to gastronomy, experiences and shopping - including premium outlets like McArthurGlen and Bicester Village.
Evolving Travel Companion Preferences:
Travelling together remains the preferred mode, with 90% opting for company. Multigenerational families (65%) lead the chart, followed by couples (60%) and a rising segment—'frolleagues' (colleagues who double as friends) at 28%; Solo at 10%
Family bonding trips on the rise: There has been an increase in travel experiences focused on family connections, such as mother-daughter trips and sibling/cousin holidays
Growing subsets, including solo female travellers, also in older age groups and empty nesters, reflecting diverse companion preferences across demographics
4. Experiential Travel Takes Centre Stage:
Close to 75% respondents indicating strong interest for experience-led holidays. Over 45% of respondents are prioritizing phenomenon-based travel (like Northern Lights – Norway, Murmansk; Japan-S Korea's Cherry blossoms; Midnight sun –Iceland, Russia) - a pivot towards bucket list experiences
Uptick in Safaris, self-drives, outdoor adventures (32%)
Gastronomy (26%) reflecting - evolving palates and desire to experiment - with France, Spain,
Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea
Event tourism—global music concerts, sporting events and festivals are also on the rise, aligning with a focus on entertainment-driven travel experiences (22%). Australia, Abu Dhabi, Thailand Spa-Wellness (19%) Relaxation, rejuvenation seeing demand – especially in destinations like Thailand, Bali, Kerala
Luxury Holidays on the Rise:
Over 36% respondents are opting for premium experiences like transportation via super cars/bikes, luxury cruise holidays (Scandinavia, Mediterranean, USA), private island dining in Australia, upscale stays in boutique hotels, French chateaux/Swiss chalets, heritage properties in India, glacier landings in New Zealand.
Destination Preferences:
Internationally, Europe continues to top the list (50%) led by Switzerland, France, Austria, Germany; Eastern Europe's Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia emerging well. Short-hauls like Southeast Asia follows with favourites like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore (46%); also Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Ras Al-Khaimah (37%); Japan & South Korea (35%) and Australia-New Zealand (26%); Island locales – Mauritius, Maldives, Bali, Sri Lanka (22%); South Africa & Kenya (12%)
Central Asia's Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan (32%) signal growing interest for unique short hauls with easy access and affordability
Morocco, Iceland, Greenland (8%) emerging on the radar
For travel in India and subcontinent: Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand (55%) remain top favourites; North East (25%); Bhutan (32%); Rajasthan & Kerala (21%). Island/beach escapes like Andaman &; Lakshadweep (3%); are also gaining strong momentum; Goa (13%)

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Time of India

2 hours ago

• Time of India

Homeward bound: City prof starts 1.5k km journey to Mashhad to escape from Iran

Kolkata: It is a race against time for geography professor Falguni Dey to travel from Astara to Mashhad, through the war-ravaged Iran, where India has already started an evacuation operation. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It'll be a 1,500 km, 22-hour long journey to Mashhad from where Dey is currently camping now. Hopeful of getting entry through the Nurduz-Agarak border to Armenia, which has allowed hundreds of Indians to cross the border and head back home, Dey had applied for an e-visa with the country. On Friday late evening, Armenia declined his visa application, leaving Dey hapless and desperate. Azerbaijan, which has also been allowing foreign nationals, kept silent on his application as well. Desperate to escape Iran, Dey called up an official at the Indian embassy in Tehran on Friday night. "He suggested I reach Mashhad somehow as the Indian authorities have already started evacuating from there. There is no other way out for me. It is going to be nearly a 1,500 km journey from the northwest of Iran to the west of the country," Dey told TOI over phone. India launched Operation Sindhu earlier this week to evacuate Indians stranded in Iran after Tehran agreed to lift airspace restrictions as a "special gesture". During the evacuation operation, India evacuated 517 nationals from Iran by Saturday morning. Mashhad is close to Iran's border with Turkmenistan, and India started evacuating through a safe air corridor. Virtually penniless, Dey, on Friday night, approached a car driver who agreed to take him on the arduous and dangerous route to Mashhad. "I told him that I can transfer the amount to his bank account only when I am back in India. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He thought for a brief moment and agreed to take me to Mashhad. He was like a Godsend to me, ready to take a stranger on a 1,500 km journey with just an assurance to be paid later," he said. The 600km stretch from Tabriz in northwest Iran to Tehran was severely damaged after Israeli missile attacks. Drones, quadcopters, and spike-guided missiles bombed large parts of the country. Vibrant and noisy Tehran and the adjoining areas have transformed into abandoned streets amid an eerie silence. "We will try to bypass Tehran. We are not sure if there will be a fresh phase of attack," said Dey. While the internet is cut off in large parts of Iran, Mashhad still has connectivity. "I will be able to receive and send documents only when I am in Mashhad. I hope it will be a little better among many other Indians."

Mint

5 hours ago

• Mint

Caught on camera: Hot air balloon catches fire, crashes in Brazil, at least 8 killed

At least eight people were killed and 13 injured after a hot-air balloon caught fire and crashed in Brazil on Saturday. The balloon was carrying 21 people and caught fire in southern Brazil, said the governor of Santa Catarina state, where the incident occurred, an AFP report said. "Eight fatalities and 13 survivors," Governor Jorginho Mello said on X. Videos taken by bystanders and carried on Brazilian television showed the moment when the balloon erupted in flames above the coastal town of Praia Grande. The tourism balloon caught fire during the flight in early morning hours, crashing in the city of Praia Grande, according to the state fire department. The basket carrying the passengers plummeted dozens of meters to the ground in flames. Thirteen survivors were transported to nearby hospitals, according to the fire department, a Reuters report said. An investigation was launched to determine the cause of the accident, another news agency AFP reported. 'We are in mourning. A tragedy has happened. We will see how it unfolds, what happened, why it happened. But the important thing now is for the state structure to do what it can,' Gov. Mello said in a video on X. Mello said he has asked authorities to head to the municipality 'to do as much as possible to rescue, to help, to take to hospital, to comfort the families.' Last Sunday, a balloon fell in Sao Paulo state, killing a 27-year-old woman and injuring 11 others, G1 reported. Praia Grande is a common destination for hot-air ballooning, a popular activity in some parts of Brazil's south during June festivities that celebrate Catholic saints such as Saint John. A hot air balloon crashed in central Turkiye on June 15, leaving its pilot dead and 19 Indonesian tourists injured, a local official said. State-run Anadolu Agency said another hot air balloon taking off from the same location of Ilhara Valley also made a hard landing early Sunday morning, and that 12 Indian tourists were slightly injured and taken to hospital. In a statement, the governor's office said the balloons were affected by a sudden change of wind. In the first incident, the balloon was trying to make a hard landing near the village of Gozlukuyu in Aksaray province, when the pilot fell out of the balloon's basket and his feet got tangled in a rope, Aksaray Governor Mehmet Ali Kumbuzoglu said. 'Unfortunately, our pilot got stuck under the basket and died,' he said, adding that the injured tourists were taken to a hospital. Video from Ilhas News Agency showed one deflated balloon, its passenger basket lying on its side, as emergency services tended to injured people. An investigation is underway.

Time of India

5 hours ago

• Time of India

Let's talk about...tourists, go home!

What's going on in Spain? Local residents in cities like Barcelona, Palma, and Granada took to the streets, armed not with placards, but water pistols. Their message? Enough is enough. Fed up with overcrowded streets, rising rents, and vanishing neighbourhoods, locals are calling out the pressures of mass tourism . Is this a new thing? Anti-tourism protests have been brewing since at least April 2024 in Spain's Canary and Balearic Islands and Barcelona. This week's wave marks the first coordinated Southern Europe action under the 'SET' banner - Southern Europe Against Overtourism . Is it happening elsewhere? Yes. From Venice's entrance fees to Amsterdam's campaigns against late-night revelry, European cities are finding creative ways to manage visitor numbers. In Greece, timed-entry tickets control crowds at the Acropolis. In Japan, signage asks tourists to respect geisha districts in Kyoto. It also introduced a toll for climbing Mt. Fuji to control overcrowding. But aren't tourists good for the economy? Of course. They support livelihoods, local businesses, and culture. But when tourism tips into overtourism, the costs add up: housing becomes unaffordable, heritage sites get damaged, and daily life becomes difficult for residents. So, what are governments doing? Some cities are taking action. Barcelona plans to phase out 10,000 short-term rental licenses by 2028. Other places are promoting off-season and offbeat travel to distribute the footfall. It's all about balance - keeping cities livable for residents and enjoyable for visitors. If I am planning a holiday... Travel mindfully. Tourism needs a reset. Residents aren't anti-tourist - they are pro-balance. Thoughtful travel, better urban planning, and respect for local life can ensure that destinations remain vibrant - for both those who visit, and those who call it home.