Republic Day vacation falling on a Monday has triggered a pointy surge in long-weekend journey this yr, in line with a report by MakeMyTrip, as Indian travellers appeared to maximise time without work by beginning their journeys early.
Bookings picked up from January 23 (Friday) and peaked on January 24 (Saturday), underscoring the influence of calendar-driven journey demand in contrast with final yr, when January 26 fell on a Sunday.
The findings are primarily based on MakeMyTrip reserving knowledge for journey between January 23 and 26, 2026, in contrast with the identical interval in 2025, and level to a powerful desire for close by leisure locations at the same time as worldwide journey continues to achieve momentum.
Goa holds its crown, Pondicherry enters the highest 5
Goa retained its place as India’s hottest home leisure vacation spot in 2026, persevering with its dominance from final yr, the MakeMyTrip report confirmed. Jaipur and Udaipur adopted intently, swapping locations in contrast with 2025, whereas Manali remained a constant favorite. Pondicherry emerged as a brand new entrant within the high 5 this yr, changing Munnar.
The highest home leisure locations in 2026 have been:
- Goa
- Jaipur
- Udaipur
- Manali
- Pondicherry
Non secular journey sees sturdy traction
Alongside leisure journeys, non secular journey witnessed sturdy demand in the course of the prolonged weekend. The next locations noticed elevated curiosity, reflecting a parallel development of faith-based journey throughout nationwide holidays, the report famous.
- Puri
- Varanasi
- Amritsar
- Ayodhya
- Ujjain
- Dwarka
- Udupi
- Tirupati
Thailand leads abroad journey, Vietnam surges
Internationally, Thailand emerged as essentially the most most popular vacation spot for the Republic Day lengthy weekend in 2026, overtaking the UAE, which slipped to second place. Vietnam stood out as the most important mover, rising from tenth place in 2025 to change into the third most booked worldwide vacation spot this yr. Malaysia and Singapore accomplished the highest 5.
In response to MakeMyTrip’s knowledge, Vietnam’s rise highlights a rising desire for easy-visa locations with direct air connectivity, a theme that continues to form outbound journey selections.
Metro-wise developments underline proximity bias
Reserving patterns from key metro cities bolstered the desire for locations inside straightforward flying distance. From Delhi, Dubai, Bangkok and Phuket dominated worldwide bookings, whereas Goa, Jaipur and hill stations led home journey.
Mumbai travellers favoured Dubai and Bangkok abroad, and Goa and Lonavala nearer residence. Bengaluru noticed Bangkok and Dubai lead worldwide selections, whereas Goa, Mysore and Coorg topped home picks. Chennai travellers leaned in the direction of Bangkok and Dubai internationally, with Goa and Auroville distinguished domestically. From Kolkata, Bangkok led worldwide journey, whereas Mandarmani and Digha topped home bookings.
Vacation packages mirror broader developments
Vacation bundle bookings adopted comparable patterns. Kerala, Andaman and Goa topped home vacation packages, adopted by Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Internationally, Thailand led packaged journey demand, adopted by Vietnam and Cambodia, the UAE, the Maldives and Indonesia.
Commenting on the developments, Rajesh Magow, Co-founder & Group CEO, MakeMyTrip, stated: “The urge for food for weekend journey stays sturdy, with the prolonged Republic Day weekend presenting a possibility for journey.”
