Independence Day to see travel surge: Here's what you need to know about the top destinations

A significant increase in travel is expected during the Independence Day long weekend beginning Thursday, according to industry experts.

According to a hotel booking platform, the top 10 most searched domestic getaways during the long weekends in August are Udaipur, Lonavala, Jaipur, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Munnar, Goa, Mahabaleshwar, Varanasi and Puri.

Moreover, the top five most searched metros in India during the long weekends in August are Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad.

The booking platform looked at search sessions between 28 July-31-July, with check-in dates between 15 August-19 August and 24 August-26 August.

"The surge in searches for both domestic and short-haul destinations during August's long weekends reflects this trend.

According to search data analysed by an online travel booking portal, while Dubai with its luxury offerings tops the list of the most popular international destinations, the allure of Southeast Asia is also captivating Indians with destinations like Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Bali and Phuket on the travel bucket list.