While some industries report muted urban demand, travel and tourism are still thriving, buoyed by post-pandemic growth. Amid the festive season, ixigo has reached record numbers in flight and bus bookings, according to Aloke Bajpai, the company’s chairman and group CEO.
“Both flights and bus bookings saw over 50% year-on-year growth for Diwali. On certain routes, we’ve noticed a 70-80% increase, especially for international destinations like Thailand, Georgia, Bali, Vietnam, and Singapore,” Bajpai shared with DH.
The platform’s fastest-growing segments from July to September have also been these areas.
Bus bookings surged by over 60% on popular routes, with new travel hotspots such as Pune, Indore, Coimbatore, Jaipur, Guntur, Rajahmundry, and Bhubaneswar attracting more travelers.
In the weeks leading up to Dussehra and Diwali, religious destinations like Tirupati and Shirdi saw a notable rise in visitors.
“Religious tourism is undoubtedly a major driving force for travelers from tier-II and tier-III cities served by ixigo.Airports like those in Ayodhya or Varanasi still have untapped potential,” Bajpai added.
Addressing recent concerns about tourism in Goa, Bajpai remarked, “A key challenge for Goa is that trips to destinations like Vietnam or Dubai are now priced similarly or even more affordably. Domestic locations are now competing on a global scale with places in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia.”
In Q2 FY25, ixigo’s gross transaction value (GTV) distribution was 36% for trains, 43% for flights, and 46% for buses. Although trains have traditionally been ixigo’s core focus, recent quarters have shown a shift, with new segments now accounting for 59% of the margin line.
“This shift is just beginning. As smaller categories grow faster, they’ll play a larger role in our portfolio over time,” Bajpai noted.
Discussing ixigo’s recent acquisition of train food delivery startup Zoop, he stated, “We estimate a billion-dollar market for food consumption on trains and at stations, though currently only a small share is ordered online.”
