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The report said OTT shows like The Family Man (Season 3), Paatal Lok (Season 2) and Delhi Crime (Season 3) showcased the lush landscapes, layered cultures and raw, unfiltered settings of the North-East region, generating new curiosity about the less-explored destinations.
This on-screen spotlight translated into real-world travel demand in 2025, with ixigo seeing strong YoY growth in flight bookings to key Northeastern cities: Dimapur, Agartala, Guwahati, Imphal and Itanagar, it further said.
Read also, CEO Alok Bajpai says ixigo will expand hotels and promote brands
According to ixigo’s ‘The Great Indian Travel Index 2025’, flight bookings to major cities in the north-east of the country including Dimapur, Agartala, Guwahati and Imphal increased during the year. It adds that India’s highly qualified OTT hits are doing more than just boosting viewership – they’re putting the Northeast firmly on the travel map.
Japan and South Korea emerged as India’s most booked international destinations on ixigo in 2025, the travel booking platform said on Friday.
Meanwhile, Gen Z fueled a surge in spiritual travel to India, with Mahakumbh-led demand driving up bookings to Prayagraj across all modes.
The event led to a huge increase in travel to Prayagraj, with Gen Z bus bookings increasing almost 20 times year-on-year. Reflecting the peak of demand, the most expensive domestic flight booked on ixigo in 2025 was a Mumbai-Prayagraj ticket during the Kumbh period priced at ₹ 92,644.
Indian travelers expand their horizons in 2025 with a clear shift towards new international destinations. East and Southeast Asia, led by Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand, emerged as the top favorites for ixigo, reflecting growing interest in culture-rich, experience-based travel. Traditional favorites remained stable, with Sri Lanka and Indonesia remaining popular choices.
Beyond Asia, the Middle East and other emerging destinations also saw strong momentum, driven by Oman, Kenya, Kazakhstan, UAE, Uzbekistan and Qatar, indicating Indians’ growing appetite for offbeat global escapes.
Alok Bajpai, Group CEO, and Rajneesh Kumar, Group Co-CEO, ixigo, said, “What really stood out in The Great Indian Travel Index 2025 was the scale and diversity of travel demand across the country. Faith-led travel emerged as a powerful driver, with destinations like Varanasi alone seeing nearly 147 million trips in 2025. At the same time, rising disposable incomes and better Connectivity is helping expand the travel ecosystem beyond existing travelers.”
“We are also seeing that Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities are increasingly shaping India’s travel narrative. Cities like Rishikesh, Indore, Nagpur, Bhopal, Lucknow and Assam are driving strong demand across flights, trains and buses, with many metro-emerging city bus routes seeing nearly 80 per cent growth year-on-year. Together, these trends reflect how travel in India is deeply rooted in culture, belief and aspiration, across age groups, geographies Beyond regions and travel modes.