The long Holi weekend has created excitement among travelers across the country. From choosing to celebrate the festival by travelling to the heartland of India to getting more regionally-authentic festival vibes, travelers have choices aplenty. Some are opting for off-beat locations to spend some quality time, while some are participating in unique activities to celebrate festival across the country.

Commenting on the booking trends this Holi, Heena J Akhtar, Co-Founder, TripXOXO, said, “There is a limited number of long weekends in 2019, however this doesn’t stop  travelers to plan for a holiday with family and friends. In March, we are receiving an overwhelming response for the Holi weekend. The travelers are looking for unique activities and we have received 30% pre-bookings for activities such as Rangeen run in Mumbai, Holi camping at Dahanu and Bhatsa river, Celebrate Holi with the locals at Nandagoan at Shri Krishna’s village and Barsana at Radha’s village. Experiential traveler is booming among young and enthusiastic travelers are utilizing the upcoming long weekends to the most.”

With a plethora of activities being organised such as the much awaited “Rangeen Run” in Mumbai, which is celebrating with the 2km/5km/8km run, games and DJ parties, to camping along Dahanu and Bhatsa river, or the Holika-Dahan in Karnataka and Hola Mahalla is Punjab, there are lots that travellers are choosing to do this weekend.

Some are also choosing to go global this Holi, opting for locations like Bhutan, Maldives, Dubai, Thailand and Nepal. Another reason is also the off-season discounts being offered before the summer when the tourist season sets in.

Observing the need for a much-awaited holiday, Karan Anand, head, Relationships, from Cox & Kings said, “Since Holi holiday is falling on Thursday this year, travel enthusiasts are planning to celebrate the festival of colours at some of the most vibrant destinations by taking a day off on Friday. As a result, the weekend has attracted large number of domestic and international travel booking with 15% surge in demand.”

“Those travelling exclusively to witness the Holi celebrations are choosing Punjab, West Bengal, Lucknow, Karnataka, Delhi and Mumbai to catch a glimpse of the unique Holi festivities in these cities. Many travelers are also set to take up overseas journeys as March is a cost-saving month with cheaper hotels rates as compared to April-May. Among international destinations Bhutan, Maldives, Thailand, Dubai and Nepal are attracting more weekend travelers,” he added.

In India, some states are celebrating the festival by adding their own flavour to it. In Punjab, the key attraction is Hola Mahalla, observed a day after Holi in Anandpur Sahib. An elaborate display of martial arts and skills by the warrior Nihang Sikhs along with creative contests at other places becomes one of the largest gatherings of Sikhs in the world on Holi.

Similarly, in West Bengal, the festival is celebrated as Dol Purnima. Rabindra Sangeet, prayer offerings to Lord Krishna and spring swings can be seen all across the state. Basant Utsav is celebrated to welcome the new season wherein women wear yellow sarees and play Holi with each other.

In Karnataka, at the Holika Dahan also called “Kaamadahana”, a public bonfire is organised which signifies the victory of good over evil, recreating the Holika-Prahlad myth. In Hubli, Rangpanchami is also celebrated with colours.

Neelu Singh,CEO & Director, Ezeego1, shared in a statement how more and more people were choosing to celebrate Holi regionally.

“This year, we witness that travelers are seeking to experience Holi in the real sense and are travelling to domestic destinations that are known for celebrating the festival of colours with zeal and religious fervor. We see a heavy demand for hotels and transfers in Delhi, Udaipur, Jaipur, Mathura, Vrindavan and places around Mumbai. Many are heading to short distance destinations like Alibaug, Lonavala, Mahabaleshwar, Murud, Kamshet, Kudal, Tarkarli, Gokarna, Goa, and Igatpuri for a quick weekend trip before they take their ultimate summer vacation.”

While travelling has always been popular during festive season with people going home to celebrate with friends and families, over the years there has been a rise in the travel-outside-hometown trend. More and more people are opting to explore new destinations during long holidays – a change that the Generation Z and millennials have popularised.

Mr. Manmeet Ahluwalia, Marketing Head, Expedia (India) observed this change, “With Holi arriving around the corner, we have observed change in outlook towards celebrating festivals in India. While the trend of travelling during festive break has been popular, we have also seen people embracing cross-culture festivals in order to travel and explore destinations with their loved ones. People are increasingly choosing to celebrate Holi outside their city either in resorts with a close group of family and friends or taking in the experiences of the most famous Holi celebrations across the states of Rajasthan –Jaipur, Pushkar and Uttar Pradesh-Mathura, Vrindavan and Varanasi. We have seen a growth of over 40% in experiential travellers as Indians are shunning the usual celebrations to venture out on Holi. As per Expedia Generational Study, 32% Gen Z and 34% Millennials prefer 3-5-day long weekend and make the most of it during such festive holidays by clubbing these vacation days with weekends to enjoy extended/ long weekends.”