77% of Indians Are Ready to Fly This Summer — And They’re Done Chasing Crowd

India’s summer travel mood in 2026 can be summed up in one word: adaptive. According to Skyscanner’s Smarter Summer report — a survey of 2,000 Indians conducted by OnePoll in March 2026 — a massive 77% of Indians are confident about travelling in the next three months, and nearly 9 in 10 have either planned or already booked their Summer 2026 holiday. The desire to travel is undeniable. What’s changing is how Indians are going about it.

Planning Is Getting Smarter — and More Complex

Gone are the days of booking a ticket and figuring out the rest later. Today’s Indian traveller is watching prices, reading advisories, and keeping options open. Four key factors are shaping decisions this summer:

A telling sign of this growing price awareness: 58% of travellers believe flying in July is cheaper than August — and they’re right to factor this in. Tools like Skyscanner’s ‘Whole Month’ search are helping travellers compare fares across entire months rather than fixed dates, making smarter booking genuinely accessible.

As Neel Ghose, Travel and Destinations Expert at Skyscanner India, put it: “Travellers are not stepping back; they are adapting within constraints. Instead of cancelling, they are staying flexible on where they go.”

The Offbeat Revolution: Hidden Gems Are the New Hotspots

Perhaps the most striking shift in the report is where Indians want to go. The era of everyone rushing to the same overcrowded hill stations and beaches is fading fast. A full 81% of travellers say they are open to lesser-known destinations, 60% are actively seeking quieter places, and 9 in 10 want their holiday spending to benefit local communities and small businesses.

This isn’t just a preference — it’s a movement. Zostel, a hostel network available on Skyscanner, saw offbeat destinations in its network grow 88% year-on-year, with 60% of those guests being first-time travellers from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. As Zostel CEO Aviral Gupta said: “Smaller-town India is no longer just a backdrop for travel stories; it’s where the story begins.”

Top Destinations for Summer 2026

Here’s where Indian travellers are heading — and where they can get the best value:

Most Popular Destinations:

Cheapest Destinations (Return Economy, July–August 2026):

For a deeper dive into finding the best deals, check out our guide to booking cheap flights on Skyscanner.

Flexibility and Group Travel: The New Realities

While 58% of travellers have fixed dates due to work or school, 30% are choosing to switch destinations rather than cancel holidays altogether — a “pivot, not cancel” mindset that defines this summer. Skyscanner’s Price Alerts feature is helping travellers monitor fare changes and strike when prices are right.

Group travel, meanwhile, remains a genuine headache. Indians spend over 15 hours on average coordinating a group trip, and nearly half say it’s more stressful than moving house or planning a wedding. The pressure to align budgets, schedules, and preferences is real — and travellers are increasingly turning to comparison tools to cut through the friction.

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