As temperatures rise, travellers are increasingly gravitating towards cooler climates, driving demand for hill stations such as Mussoorie, Munnar, Varkala, Ooty and Kodaikanal.
The Easter long weekend is emerging as a key travel occasion for those seeking a quick break before the summer season sets in.
According to travel platform Pickyourtrail, the long weekend beginning with Good Friday is fast becoming a major getaway window.
Bookings on the platform have risen 5 to 8 per cent year-on-year, pointing to a growing appetite for short, well-planned international trips.
Couples aged 28 to 32, primarily from metro cities, are driving this trend.
'This cohort is financially independent, experience-first in mindset, and increasingly prioritising shared travel moments over material spending — encouraging the rise of premium short-haul trips,' the platform said.
On Booking.com, while Bengaluru and Mumbai remain the top-searched hubs due to ease of access, Rishikesh, Varanasi, and Ooty feature among the top five most-searched destinations.
Varanasi has recorded a 135 per cent spike in searches compared to last year, while heritage destinations such as Jaipur and Udaipur continue to gain traction, with search increases of 75 per cent and 49 per cent, respectively.
'Seasonality is also playing a key role in shaping travel choices. As temperatures rise, travellers are increasingly gravitating towards cooler climates, driving demand for hill stations such as Mussoorie (78 per cent), Munnar (41 per cent), Varkala (39 per cent), Ooty (22 per cent) and Kodaikanal (20 per cent),' the platform added.
At hotels, this demand is pushing up occupancies and room rates.
"The Easter long weekend this year is seeing particularly strong momentum.
"We've observed a meaningful uptick in both enquiries and confirmed bookings across our portfolio, which are leisure-led destinations," said Amruda Nair, founder of Araiya Hotels & Resorts.
Several properties in the chain, such as Aalia Jungle Retreat & Spa, are already sold out, while those in Uttarakhand are emerging as front-runners.
This is driven by a growing preference for nature-led, restorative whycation getaways rather than travel for its own sake, Nair added.
Room rates at the chain, driven by a dynamic pricing model, have risen by 10 to 12 per cent during high-demand long weekends such as Good Friday.
At luxury villa rental firm StayVista, bookings have risen 35 to 45 per cent compared to a regular weekend baseline.
"For key drive-to markets like Lonavala, Alibaug, Goa, and Coorg, the spike is even higher at 50 to 60 per cent, driven by early planning and group travel demand," said Amit Damani, cofounder of StayVista.
Occupancies, Damani added, are expected to touch 90 to 95 per cent across top destinations, with premium and large villas already nearing sellout.
Damani also pointed out that short-haul destinations within driving distance of metro cities are seeing increased interest, aided by shorter planning cycles of a week to 10 days, compared to two to three weeks earlier.
This demand is leading to a 20 to 30 per cent increase in average nightly rates during long weekends.
For high-demand properties and premium villas, rates can rise by as much as 35 to 40 per cent.
At the Fairmont Udaipur Palace, demand is also quickly filling up rooms.
"The entire city is seeing a surge from places like Mumbai, Delhi, Gujarat and parts of South India. It has lifted occupancies across the city, and we are seeing the same trend," said Rajan Malhotra, director of sales and marketing at the property.
"I can see the surges coming, the booking windows shrinking, and more bookings happening closer to the date than in the past, when these trips were planned well in advance," he added.
As occupancies rise closer to the date, hotels have greater flexibility to adjust room rates.
"Even this weekend, we've seen it help the hotel achieve better rates than under normal circumstances," Malhotra said.
Financial technology firm Scapia, which offers a travel-focused co-branded credit card, has also observed the weekend's emergence as a high-intent travel window.
"Travellers are favouring short, high-efficiency trips, with strong demand across leisure and cultural destinations. Top flight destinations include Goa, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Kochi, Varanasi, Jaipur, Andaman, and Srinagar, while train and bus routes highlight dense intercity and getaway corridors," a spokesperson for Scapia said.
Routes such as New Delhi-Rishikesh, New Delhi-Dharamshala, and Bengaluru-Udupi also indicate a growing preference for spiritual and wellness-led getaways, the firm added.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff