Thailand surpasses Maldives as the top international honeymoon destination for Indian couples. As per the annual report published by MakeMyTrip on the basis of the booking patterns by Indian honeymooners between October 2023 and Septemer 2024, Thailand has gained 5.2 per cent market share thus overtaking Maldives as the preferred honeymoon destination of Indian couples. Indonesia, Mauritius, and Vietnam also gained share in the last one year, the report says.
Maldives saw a 16.2 per cent YoY decline in honeymoon package bookings while all other top five international destinations – Indonesia, Mauritius, and Vietnam – gained share this year.
Rajesh Magow, Co-founder and Group CEO of MakeMyTrip, said “As the wedding season in India approaches, the spotlight turns to honeymoon travel—where couples look to craft a truly special, once-in-a-lifetime experience. For the first time, we are sharing unique insights into the distinct booking patterns that set honeymoon travel apart from leisure trips.
Our aim is to provide a deeper understanding that will allow us—and the broader travel and wedding ecosystem—to create experiences that are not only romantic and memorable but also aligned with the evolving preferences of today’s honeymooners. As couples increasingly seek personalized experiences, luxury, and unexplored destinations, we remain dedicated to delivering a variety of choices and travel planning experience for honeymooners.”
Since tourists are choosing to steer clear of hilly terrains around NCR due to frequent landslides and chock-a-block traffic, people are looking at Goa, Kerala and even Maharashtra this monsoon. Digital travel platform Agoda recently revealed that as compared to 2019, there has been five times (410%) rise in monsoon (June-August) travel searches.
On the domestic front, the Andamans replaced Kerala as the most booked honeymoon destination, increasing its share of honeymoon package bookings by 6.9 per cent YoY. Kashmir, which gained 3.6 per cent in bookings, moved to third place. The number of bookings for Goa remained the same as last year while Himachal Pradesh saw a decline of 4 per cent in honeymoon package bookings. The North-East, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra also drew attention from Indian couples seeking domestic honeymoon destinations.There is an increasing appeal for new and diverse destinations among Indian honeymooners, the report notes. While international destinations such as Bhutan, Azerbaijan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Seychelles have seen a significant YoY growth in honeymoon package bookings, this trend was not just limited to short haul destinations. Long-haul destinations also featured prominently in the honeymoon travel plans of Indian couples.
Easy visa destination Japan witnessed the highest YoY growth of 388 per cent in honeymoon package bookings. Other long-haul destinations that have seen maximum growth for honeymoon package bookings include Scandinavia, the United States, South Africa, and Australia and New Zealand.
In terms of spending, Couples are willing to spend extra for luxury and indulgence during their honeymoon. The average spending per couple has increased by 13 per cent YoY. Notably, 68 per cent of newlyweds chose 4-star or 5-star properties for their stay. 1 in every 5 honeymoon package bookings were for a 5-star property between 2023-24, reflecting a 10 per cent YoY growth.
In terms of travel duration, 78 per cent of domestic honeymooners booked packages for up to 5 days in 2023-24, in line with the booking trends for the previous year. However, for international travellers, the per centage of couples booking a honeymoon package of more than 5 days increased from 34 per cent in 2022-23 to 42 per cent in 2023-24, reflecting a trend toward longer honeymoons. This shift also aligns with the increase in preference among couples to travel to multiple cities.
