Indian summer travel defies 30-40% airfare hikes as buses, short-haul outbound surge
MakeMyTrip and ixigo report resilient summer demand despite 30-40% YoY airfare inflation. Travelers pivot to intercity cabs and buses (+38% YoY) and hill stations like Coorg, Shimla, Ooty. Short-haul outbound bookings spike: Vietnam +130%, Sri Lanka +68%, Singapore +32%, Thailand +22%. Govt weighs Rs 10,000 cr jet fuel fund.
What happened
Indian summer travel demand stays strong despite 30-40% airfare hikes. MakeMyTrip and ixigo report shifts to intercity cabs, buses and short-haul destinations
Key facts
- 30-40% airfare hike YoY
- Vietnam +130%
- Sri Lanka +68%
- Singapore +32%
- Thailand +22%
- bus bookings +38% YoY
- Rs 10,000 crore jet fuel fund
Why this matters
Short-haul outbound surge to Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Thailand opens M&A windows for regional DMC tie-ups and bus aggregator stakes before incumbents consolidate the ground-transport pivot.