Indians’ Top New Year Holiday Destination 2026: As 2026 comes closer, many people in India are getting ready to travel. A new report by MakeMyTrip shows how Indians planned their holidays between December 20, 2025, and January 6, 2026. The report clearly shows that international travel is strong this year. Thailand has become the most popular foreign destination for the New Year period. It has moved ahead of the UAE, which now stands at second place. Other popular countries includes Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
Vietnam has shown the fastest growth among all destinations. It jumped from seventh position to fourth place in bookings. This shows that many Indian travellers now like short-distance and budget-friendly foreign trips. Other countries that Indians also booked include Indonesia, Singapore, the UK, the US, and Hong Kong.
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Talking about this trend, Rajesh Magow, Co-founder & Group CEO of MakeMyTrip, said, “Short-haul international travel also continues to see momentum, led by familiar regions even as newer destinations begin to gain traction. The impact of easier visa and visa-free access is playing out consistently, reinforcing India’s growing appetite for outbound travel.”
Domestic travel stays strong
Travel inside India also remained strong during the holiday season. Popular places like Goa, Jaipur, Udaipur, Manali, and Jaisalmer saw high demand. Hill stations such as Munnar, Darjeeling, Ooty, and Mussoorie also received many bookings.
When it came to holiday packages, Kerala ranked at the top. Himachal Pradesh came next, followed by Rajasthan, the Andaman Islands, and Tamil Nadu. Many travellers chose these places for relaxation and family time.
Magow explained the trend by saying, “The domestic tourism growth story continues during the year-end and New Year holiday period, with sustained demand across leisure and pilgrimage destinations. Travellers are showing willingness to upgrade accommodation, and are increasingly combining leisure breaks with spiritually enriching journeys.”
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Pilgrimage trips and Premium stays
The report also shows that more people are travelling for spiritual reasons. Pilgrimage trips made up 24.8% of bookings in 2025, up from 22.9% last year. Leisure travel still formed the biggest share at 77.1%. Cities like Puri, Varanasi, Madurai, Rameshwaram, Amritsar, Ayodhya, Ujjain, Dwarka, Udupi, and Tirupati stayed popular.
Another clear change was in hotel choices. The ₹2,500–₹5,000 per night category slowed a bit. the ₹5,000–₹7,500 range gained more bookings.
