How Indians Travelled in 2025

If you took more than one trip in 2025, you weren't alone. Across the country, Indian travellers stopped saving up for one annual vacation and started weaving travel into their year - shorter trips, different transport modes, destinations that weren't on the usual lists.

This wasn't isolated to metros or frequent flyers. Women, Tier-2 cities, younger travellers, first-time international visitors - the profile of who was travelling expanded as much as where they were going.

Here's what actually played out across the trips booked on Scapia this year.

1. The annual vacation is breaking up into multiple trips

The once-a-year long holiday gave way to several shorter trips spread across the calendar. Weekend getaways, work-enabled stays, and international trips are now planned independently rather than bunched into one vacation window.

What the numbers say:

Flight bookings grew 5X in 2025, while hotel and accommodation bookings rose 8–9X compared to previous years. This growth wasn't concentrated in traditional holiday seasons, it was distributed throughout the year.

2. More people from more places are travelling internationally

International travel is expanding beyond metros. Women are travelling internationally at significantly higher rates, and Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are driving much of this growth.

What the numbers say:

International flight bookings by women tripled in 2025. Tier-2 cities alone recorded over 2.5X growth in international bookings.

3. Indians are exploring destinations beyond the obvious

Both domestic and international travel expanded to include lesser-known destinations. Domestically, travellers visited places like Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh, Pakyong in Sikkim, Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh, and Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh. Internationally, the footprint extended to places like Tashkent in Uzbekistan, Luang Prabang in Laos, Barbados in the Caribbean, and Puerto Princesa in the Philippines.

What the numbers say:

Scapia users spent money in 113 different currencies across 174 countries in 2025 — reflecting a truly global reach.

4. Trains and buses are part of how Indians are travelling

Trains and buses featured prominently in travel activity this year, especially among younger travellers and solo women. These modes are being used as core parts of journeys, not just for last-mile connectivity.

Travel in 2025 wasn't single-mode. People combined flights with trains, or stays with buses, depending on what worked best for their destination and budget. Multi-modal journeys became common, especially for trips to places not well-connected by air.

What the numbers say:

Gen Z accounted for 33% of all train bookings on Scapia in 2025. Solo women made up 40% of bus bookings, showing strong adoption of ground transport options. All travel categories - flights, stays, trains, buses, and forex - recorded strong growth on Scapia during the year.

5. Rewards are funding shorter, more frequent trips

Scapia Coins - earned on everyday spending (conditions apply) and redeemable for travel bookings - are lowering the barrier to frequent travel. Instead of saving coins for one big international trip, young India is using them for weekend train journeys and short bus rides throughout the year. There is a behavioural shift showcasing young India planning their spends to help them plan and afford their aspirational vacations/trips.

What the numbers say:

Nearly 50% of train bookings and 60% of bus bookings on Scapia in 2025 were completely paid for using Coins, converting routine spending into additional trips.

6. People are choosing destinations based on what they want to do there

Travel decisions in 2025 were increasingly driven by specific experiences and interest led-things that they wanted to do. like treks, music festivals, safaris, concerts, cultural events - rather than just checking off famous cities. The question shifted from "where should I go?" to "what do I want to do?"

Indian travel shifted in 2025 - from occasional to continuous, from concentrated to distributed, from metros to everywhere.

If this resonates with how you travelled last year, you're not alone. And if it doesn't yet, let's hope that changes soon! After all, who doesn't need more vacations?

Looking for a travel companion that makes travel easier? Get the card that takes you places!

Apply for your Scapia Co-branded Credit card today.

If you took more than one trip in 2025, you weren't alone. Across the country, Indian travellers stopped saving up for one annual vacation and started weaving travel into their year - shorter trips, different transport modes, destinations that weren't on the usual lists.

This wasn't isolated to metros or frequent flyers. Women, Tier-2 cities, younger travellers, first-time international visitors - the profile of who was travelling expanded as much as where they were going.

Here's what actually played out across the trips booked on Scapia this year.

1. The annual vacation is breaking up into multiple trips

The once-a-year long holiday gave way to several shorter trips spread across the calendar. Weekend getaways, work-enabled stays, and international trips are now planned independently rather than bunched into one vacation window.

What the numbers say:

Flight bookings grew 5X in 2025, while hotel and accommodation bookings rose 8–9X compared to previous years. This growth wasn't concentrated in traditional holiday seasons, it was distributed throughout the year.

2. More people from more places are travelling internationally

International travel is expanding beyond metros. Women are travelling internationally at significantly higher rates, and Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are driving much of this growth.

What the numbers say:

International flight bookings by women tripled in 2025. Tier-2 cities alone recorded over 2.5X growth in international bookings.

3. Indians are exploring destinations beyond the obvious

Both domestic and international travel expanded to include lesser-known destinations. Domestically, travellers visited places like Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh, Pakyong in Sikkim, Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh, and Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh. Internationally, the footprint extended to places like Tashkent in Uzbekistan, Luang Prabang in Laos, Barbados in the Caribbean, and Puerto Princesa in the Philippines.

What the numbers say:

Scapia users spent money in 113 different currencies across 174 countries in 2025 — reflecting a truly global reach.

4. Trains and buses are part of how Indians are travelling

Trains and buses featured prominently in travel activity this year, especially among younger travellers and solo women. These modes are being used as core parts of journeys, not just for last-mile connectivity.

Travel in 2025 wasn't single-mode. People combined flights with trains, or stays with buses, depending on what worked best for their destination and budget. Multi-modal journeys became common, especially for trips to places not well-connected by air.

What the numbers say:

Gen Z accounted for 33% of all train bookings on Scapia in 2025. Solo women made up 40% of bus bookings, showing strong adoption of ground transport options. All travel categories - flights, stays, trains, buses, and forex - recorded strong growth on Scapia during the year.

5. Rewards are funding shorter, more frequent trips

Scapia Coins - earned on everyday spending (conditions apply) and redeemable for travel bookings - are lowering the barrier to frequent travel. Instead of saving coins for one big international trip, young India is using them for weekend train journeys and short bus rides throughout the year. There is a behavioural shift showcasing young India planning their spends to help them plan and afford their aspirational vacations/trips.

What the numbers say:

Nearly 50% of train bookings and 60% of bus bookings on Scapia in 2025 were completely paid for using Coins, converting routine spending into additional trips.

6. People are choosing destinations based on what they want to do there

Travel decisions in 2025 were increasingly driven by specific experiences and interest led-things that they wanted to do. like treks, music festivals, safaris, concerts, cultural events - rather than just checking off famous cities. The question shifted from "where should I go?" to "what do I want to do?"

Indian travel shifted in 2025 - from occasional to continuous, from concentrated to distributed, from metros to everywhere.

If this resonates with how you travelled last year, you're not alone. And if it doesn't yet, let's hope that changes soon! After all, who doesn't need more vacations?

Looking for a travel companion that makes travel easier? Get the card that takes you places!

Apply for your Scapia Co-branded Credit card today.

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