India’s cricket season is translating into strong travel momentum, with Airbnb reporting a 46% surge in domestic searches across key match-hosting cities, underscoring the sport’s growing economic impact beyond stadiums. Nearly 60% of India’s Gen Z plan to travel to attend live matches in 2026, positioning cricket as the strongest sporting trigger for domestic travel this year.
Searches between February 5 and June 2 rose sharply year-on-year across emerging centres. New Chandigarh led with a 318.81% spike, followed by Raipur (232.95%), Ranchi (118.42%) and Thiruvananthapuram (114.19%). Jaipur (+71.34%), Lucknow (+59.99%) and Dharamshala/Kangra (+57.98%) also saw strong growth, while Delhi (+34.31%) and Hyderabad (+28.86%) posted steady gains. Event-linked spikes were sharper: Colombo searches jumped 325.65% during the India–Pakistan weekend, with nights booked soaring 4,300%, while Ahmedabad recorded a 168.77% rise in searches and a 533.33% jump in bookings ahead of the T20 final window.
Booking patterns show rising demand for larger homes. Entire home bookings climbed 152% in Ahmedabad, 105% in Lucknow and 400% in Ranchi. Over half (53%) of Gen Z extend trips beyond match days, with a median stay of 3–4 days, and 70% prefer travelling with family or friends.
For Guwahati, which was part of the YouGov survey sample, the cricket-led travel wave signals opportunity. As fans increasingly explore tier-2 and regional hubs, the city stands to gain from higher short-stay demand, group bookings and spillover tourism during marquee fixtures, strengthening the local hospitality and rental ecosystem.
