India’s cricket season is reshaping travel patterns, with fans booking stays in cities hosting major matches, new data from Airbnb reveals. Searches for accommodations have jumped not only in big cities but also in smaller, emerging cricket destinations.

Smaller cities see record growth

Airbnb data shows demand spreading to tier-2 locations such as Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur, and Lucknow during tournaments from February to May.

Ranchi recorded a nearly 120 per cent year-on-year rise in searches, while Thiruvananthapuram saw growth exceeding 110 per cent. Jaipur and Lucknow experienced increases of over 70 per cent and 60 per cent, respectively.

“These high-profile fixtures are accelerating travel into emerging centres, broadening visitor demand beyond traditional gateway cities,” the report noted.

The India vs Pakistan match in Colombo (14–17 February 2026) triggered a surge of over 325 per cent in searches by Indian travellers, with nights booked rising significantly year-on-year. Ahead of the World Cup final window (7–10 March 2026), Ahmedabad recorded almost a 170 per cent increase in searches, underlining its growing importance as a cricket destination.

Gen Z and experience-led travel reshape trips

A generational shift is driving this trend. Cricket, once largely a living-room experience, is now prompting young Indians to travel for matches.

Airbnb’s Experience-Led Travel Insights survey shows nearly 60 per cent of India’s Gen Z plan to attend live cricket matches in 2026, and 70 per cent prefer to go with friends or family. Over half of these trips extend beyond match days to explore local culture, cuisine, and neighbourhoods, with a median trip length of 3–4 days.

Search trends support this. In Ahmedabad, searches for entire homes nearly doubled those for private rooms. Cities such as Ahmedabad (50 per cent), Kangra (90 per cent), and Visakhapatnam (75 per cent) saw strong growth in searches for homes with two or more bedrooms.

Amanpreet Singh Bajaj, Airbnb’s Country Head for India and Southeast Asia, said: “Cricket has long united the country in spirit. What we’re seeing now is that same energy translating into travel, with fans building meaningful trips around the game. Increasingly, these moments go beyond the stadium; people are extending their stays, travelling with friends and family, and exploring destinations more deeply. On Airbnb, we’re seeing this shift firsthand, as travellers choose homes that allow them to stay together, experience neighbourhoods more authentically, and turn match days into fuller, more memorable getaways. It’s a powerful example of how culture shapes travel and creates meaningful impact for local communities.”

As cricket-led travel spreads beyond gateway cities, it supports local hospitality and promotes geographically distributed tourism across India.