Indian travelers pivot from West to Asia-Pacific and domestic for summer 2026, platforms report

Cleartrip, Thomas Cook, SOTC and EaseMyTrip flag a sharp summer 2026 reroute: long-haul Western bookings down 15-20%, while Philippines triples, Tokyo and Busan spike 90-95%, and domestic searches surge 60% with Jaisalmer up 300%. High airfares and flight disruptions are redirecting wallets to short-haul and heritage circuits like Jaipur, Udaipur and Goa.

— Source publishedSun, 31 May, 2026, 06:00 IST·First seen Sun, 31 May, 2026, 06:09 IST·Source ET Small Business

What happened

Indian travel platforms Cleartrip, Thomas Cook, SOTC and EaseMyTrip report summer 2026 shift away from US/Europe toward short-haul Asia-Pacific and domestic

Key facts

  • 3x Philippines bookings
  • 15-20% drop long-haul West
  • 300% surge Jaisalmer
  • 60% surge domestic searches
  • 90-95% spike Tokyo/Busan

Why this matters

Scout bolt-on acquisitions or partnerships in Philippines, Japan and Korea inbound handling plus Tier-2 Indian heritage destination operators to lock in the short-haul and domestic surge.