India’s Wedding Season Is Boosting Year-End Travel
Photo Credit: An Indian couple at their wedding in Tampa Bay, Florida. Unsplash / Amish Thakkar
Skift Take
The grandeur of Indian weddings is moving beyond local banquets, and is now influencing the tourism industry in India. Newly-married couples are also driving international travel as part of their honeymoon plans.
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, wit
