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Agoda: Puri accommodation searches jump 318% and Sri Lanka 262% for festive stays
Our read
Agoda's festive search surge for Puri and Sri Lanka will convert only partly into bookings, because room supply and fares cap the follow-through.
For operators
Agoda's data shows searches for 15 October to 30 November 2026 stays up 318% year-on-year for Puri and 262% for Sri Lanka, so plan for some festive spend and footfall shifting from home-city stores to travel, so consider staffing and promotions around pre-trip shopping and the destinations that are growing.
Watch
Puri bookings growth below the 318% search jump by 30 November would mean curiosity is outrunning conversions, and Puri hoteliers' rate hikes may not stick.
The report,
Agoda reported Puri accommodation searches by Indian travellers rose 318% year-on-year, and Sri Lanka's nearly 262%, for stays between 15 October and 30 November 2026. Goa, Puri and Udaipur led domestic searches.
- Puri318%
- Sri Lanka262%
- Ooty166%
- Hong Kong138%
- Japan125%
- Munnar107%
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Demand data
From the report. Source details below
| Ooty domestic search growth: | 166% |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong search growth: | 138% |
| Japan search growth: | 125% |
| Munnar domestic search growth: | 107% |
| Varanasi search growth: | 92% |
| Goa domestic search growth: | 43% |
Next data points
- Agoda or rival festive deal launches naming Puri or Sri Lanka
- Hotel rate or occupancy commentary from Puri and Ooty operators
- Airline capacity or fare moves on Sri Lanka routes
- Agoda's follow-up data on Goa and Udaipur against Puri
Likely next moves
Our read of what comes next — analysis, not reported by the source.
- Agoda is likely to build festive campaigns around Puri, Sri Lanka and Ooty and release more destination-level search data.
- Rival travel platforms may answer with their own demand data and deals on Goa, Puri and Udaipur to defend domestic share.
- Puri and Munnar hoteliers are likely to raise rates and tighten availability as the search spike shows up in enquiries.
- Airlines and tourism boards for Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and Japan may add capacity or Indian-market promotions to capture the interest.
- Price-sensitive travellers will more likely than not shift to nearby or alternative destinations once rooms in the top picks sell out.
The counter-case
The case against this reading — not reported by the source.
These are search-intent numbers from a single online travel agency, not bookings, stays or footfall. The percentages come with no absolute base. Puri (+318%) and Sri Lanka (+262%) could be small starting volumes, so the jumps may be a base effect, possibly from a weak or disrupted comparison period such as weather or travel advisories last year. The list is also a mix: Puri and Ooty are domestic and Hong Kong, Japan and Sri Lanka are international. That looks like a promotional press-release list of the biggest percentage gainers, not a ranking of where people will actually travel. The window runs 15 October to 30 November and spans Diwali, so a different festival date or lead time between years could inflate the YoY comparison. Searching is cheap and not committal, and many searches never convert. Agoda also skews towards digitally native, mid-to-upper-income travellers booking through an OTA. It is a poor proxy for broad Indian consumer demand or for retail footfall, and it is not clear what retailers should do with it.
The source
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