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Festive spirit fuels travel: Indians seek getaways for Holi and Easter
Mumbai: With Holi (25 March) and Good Friday (29 March ) just a few days apart, Indian travellers are seizing this opportunity and exploring both domestic and international destinations for this festive break. Booking.com, connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, reveals the travel insights of Indian travellers for the upcoming festive break.
From exploring vibrant cities to soaking in the cultural festivities, Indians are seeking diverse experiences to make the most of their time off. According to Booking.com data, besides metros, some of the most searched leisure destinations include Udaipur, Jaipur, Goa, Lonavala and Manali.
Spiritual destinations are also experiencing a surge in demand, with Vrindavan, known for its Holi celebrations, emerging as the top five most searched destinations in India, alongside destinations like Rishikesh, Puri and Varanasi.
Top 10 most searched domestic destinations for Indian travellers travelling from March 23-31, 2024
Mumbai
Bengaluru
Udaipur
New Delhi
Vrindavan
Jaipur
Goa
Rishikesh
Puri
Varanasi
Exploring international getaways
Closer to home international destinations like Dubai, Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Bali and Hanoi are also gaining traction as popular travel choices during this period.
Top 10 most searched international destinations by Indian travelling internationally from March 23-31, 2024
Dubai
Singapore
Bangkok
Makkah (Saudi Arabia)
London
Paris
Kuala Lumpur
Bali
Tokyo
Hanoi
Booking.com, country manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia Santosh Kumar said, “Long weekends and festivities offer Indians the perfect opportunity to unwind and escape the daily grind with a short getaway. Our Travel Predictions 2024 research revealed that 85% of Indian travellers feel more alive when they are on vacation and we are thrilled to see the surge in travel demand for the Holi and Easter weekend. As travel enthusiasm continues to grow, Booking.com remains committed to making it easier for everyone to experience the world and make the most of this festive period by providing them with flights, rental cars, attractions and of course unique places to stay.”
Methodology
This release looks at search sessions between 22-02-2024 and 02-03-2024, with check-in dates between 23-03-2024 and 31-03-2024
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Reserve Bank of India cancels Paytm Payments Bank licence
Central bank cites compliance failures; curbs tighten as wind-up looms
MUMBAI: India’s banking watchdog delivered its sharpest blow yet to Paytm Payments Bank, cancelling its licence and effectively ending its ability to operate as a bank under the law.
The Reserve Bank of India said the entity can no longer conduct banking business under the Banking Regulation Act, citing concerns that its affairs were not being run in the interest of depositors or the public and that it had failed to meet licence conditions.
The move escalates a crackdown that has been building for months. The bank had already been barred from onboarding new customers since March 11, 2022, and later faced restrictions on deposits, credit and wallet top-ups. In January 2024, the central bank ordered it to stop accepting fresh deposits, pointing to persistent non-compliance, including lapses in customer due diligence, use of funds and technology systems.
Operationally, the bank is now on a tight leash. It may process withdrawals of existing deposits and facilitate loan referrals through banking correspondents, but it cannot take fresh deposits.
The central bank said it would apply to the high court to wind up the bank.
Paytm sought to ringfence the fallout. In a regulatory filing, it said the licence cancellation applies to Paytm Payments Bank Limited, a separate entity, and should not be attributed to One 97 Communications. It added that there is no exposure or material business arrangement with the bank and that it operates independently, without Paytm’s board or management involvement.
“As informed earlier, Paytm (One 97 Communications Limited) and its services, which have been operating without interruption, will continue to operate uninterrupted. These include the Paytm app, Paytm UPI, Paytm Gold and all other services offered by its subsidiaries and associated companies,” the company said.
The distinction may reassure users of the app ecosystem, but the regulator’s verdict is unequivocal. After years of warnings, caps and curbs, the payments bank experiment at Paytm is being shut down—decisively, and with little room left to manoeuvre.
