Food, festivals and heritage are emerging as the biggest influences on Hyderabad residents' travel plans, with Japan topping international cultural destinations, according to Skyscanner’s India Culture Travel Index 2026.
Food, festivals and heritage are increasingly shaping where Hyderabad residents travel, including trips abroad, according to Skyscanner’s India Culture Travel Index 2026. Regional food experiences ranked as the leading cultural reason for choosing a destination at 56 per cent, while 90 per cent of respondents had either taken an international culture‑focused holiday or expressed interest in one. The survey also found that 83 per cent said their interest in culture‑led travel had grown in recent years.
“Travel decisions now begin with the experience rather than the place,” said Neel Ghose, who leads Skyscanner’s India market. “The question has always been, ‘Where do I travel?’ What we are seeing today is, ‘What do I want to experience?’ The destination is now an answer to what the traveller wants to experience,” he said while presenting the findings in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
The survey, conducted by OnePoll, covered 2,000 people across India who had travelled in the past year. Hyderabad residents made up 17.5 per cent of the sample, or about 350 respondents. Skyscanner also used millions of price, route and travel data points from its platform as the base for the research.
Respondents said several Telangana experiences needed greater visibility, led by Charminar and Old City heritage walks (39 per cent), Bonalu and Medaram Jatara (33 per cent each), Bathukamma (31 per cent) and the Warangal heritage circuit (30 per cent).
Festival travel was another strong theme, with three in four respondents willing to travel for cultural or religious celebrations. Durga Puja led at 38 per cent, followed by Diwali (37 per cent), Pongal and Kumbh Mela (33 per cent each), Bathukamma (32 per cent) and Bonalu (31 per cent).
Domestic destinations sought by Hyderabad travellers included Kochi, Udaipur, Almora, Kolkata, Mumbai, Lucknow, Puri and Kohima. International interest was led by Japan (22 per cent), followed by Thailand and Vietnam (17 per cent each), France (16 per cent), the United Kingdom (15 per cent) and Italy (10 per cent).
Of the respondents, 25 per cent had already taken an international culture‑focused holiday, 37 per cent said they definitely wanted to and 28 per cent were open to the idea. Digital platforms now play a large part in how these trips begin.
