Long Holi weekend boosts travel searches and hotel bookings

The long Holi weekend is driving up travel searches and room rates in the last month of the fiscal year. Rooms at the Westin Resort & Spa Himalayas and Leela Palace Udaipur could set you back by over ₹45,000 on March 14, as per Booking.com. According to RateGain, a global provider of AI-powered travel and hospitality software solutions, hotel bookings for Holi are up 105% compared with last year, as Indians plan long weekend getaways around the festival.

“Online searches are up 30% versus last year for Holi and the extended weekend,” said SD Nandakumar, president and country head for holidays and corporate tours at SOTC Travel. “What is interesting is that despite a marginal increase in airfares of 5-8% to popular Holi hubs like…