Affordable Travel Outlook This festive season demands luxury as GST 2.0 and value trends

India’s holiday travel season has seen a decisive shift towards affordable leisure and experiential travel, according to Trillofilia, India’s leading AI-Powered Travel and Experiential Travel Platform. The company’s latest data shows that mid-range accommodation from INR 200T to 6,000 per night has grown by 22 percent year-on-year, now accounting for 48 percent of all bookings.

This promotion reflects a broader shift in behavior from luxury to value, meaningful travel experiences supported by the GST 2.0 roll and buoyant holiday feel. The trend is that India’s growing “Smart Luxury” travelers are spending less on destinations, but investing more in activities, comfort and exploration.

Short breaks and runs lasting two to three nights represent 58 percent of the past year, six percentage points from last year. The average length of stay is 2.6 nights, with frequent, frequent, shorter trips preferred. Booking windows are 21 days, up three days from last year, indicating a more confident and planned travel mindset.

“India’s new default, with savings in bed a day and a sense of destruction, people are a little more affordable, but also more open to improving the stay.

Thrillofilia’s data also shows that travelers are making more deliberate spending choices. Air travel bookings using miles and vouchers increased by 21 percent, while Premium-cabin share decreased by 2.8 percentage points compared to Diwali 2024. Trekking reservations are organized by 27 percent, 24 percent, 22 percent and culture and cultural activities, with an average cost of 3,600 per activity.

At the destination level, Jaipur leads the stock-raising market with a 26 percent yoy rise followed by steak and bhopal, which emerged as the highest short break and weekend markets. Hyderabad recorded the longest average billing window (24 days), while Bhubaneswar recorded the sharpest performance growth at 31 percent. Chennai and Kolkata show the fastest festive booking rate with Diwali-Week inventory sold by Patna well ahead of 2024, with short-term bookings dominating in the short term.

Across all segments, the average domestic trip spend of INR 25,000 to 45,000 ranges between INR 60,000 to 95,000 for international trips. Travelers are not cut back; Instead, it reallocates budgets from luxury rooms to immersive experiences

With more than 5,000 partners in 200 destinations, Thrillofilia continues to drive this experience, technology-enabled scrolling. The company’s data signals a clear message for the industry: Indian travelers are planning better, traveling and redefining luxury—one weekend at a time.

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