No firing rockets! Indians plan short & sweet Diwali trips

Many Indians are swapping crackers and sweets for boarding passes and short getaways this Diwali, with travel and accommodation providers witnessing a notable rise in bookings for short-haul international holidays and luxury domestic escapes. The festive spirit is translating into a travel boom across both domestic and international destinations.

"This year's Diwali is shaping up to be one of the biggest festive travel seasons we've seen in recent years," said Abhishek Daga, cofounder at travel platform Thrillophilia. Outbound travel is showing the strongest surge—up by 24% year-on-year—driven largely by short-haul Asia-Pacific destinations such as Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam, which have increasingly become the 'new Goa' for many Indian families.

On the domestic front, destinations like Jaipur, Udaipur, and Jaisalmer are witnessing some of the highest advance bookings ever recorded, reflecting a growing appetite for premium getaways within India.

Holiday booking platform Pickyourtrail's cofounder Hari Ganapathy noted that Gen Z and millennials are at the forefront of this festive travel wave. "The festival of lights has turned into a festival of journeys," he said. "Couples are picking romantic breaks, families are using the holiday for quality time, and groups of friends are chasing shared adventures."