Seven in 10 Gen Z prefer short vacations over long annual leave: Airbnb Report

Mumbai: Short trips are replacing long annual holidays as seven in 10 Gen Zs prefer three short trips over one long annual holiday under a week, a report said on Monday.

Seven in 10 Gen Z travellers would rather take three short trips than one long annual holiday as 87 per cent prefer trips that last under a week, according to the Airbnb report, 'Never the Same: The New Rules of Gen Z Travel in India'.

Searches by Indian Gen Z for the summer period were up over 30 per cent year-on-year, with shorter getaways of 2-6 nights emerging as the fastest-growing trip format - rising nearly 80 per cent for domestic travel, the report said.

The Airbnb report, 'Never the Same: The New Rules of Gen Z Travel in India,' is based on the company's internal data of searches made by Indian guests for check-ins between May 1 and June 31, 2026, compared to the same period last year.

The report further revealed that travel for Gen Z is less a planned event and more a reflexive response - to stress, to an open weekend, or to a friend who simply said, 'Let's go'.

Around 66 per cent Gen Zs book within days or weeks of travel and 67 per cent say no two trips they've taken have ever looked the same.

For Gen Z in India, travel has become one of the primary ways they express who they are as 87 per cent said the way they travel reflects who they are as a person, and 92 per cent felt that their destination or stay reflects their personal taste - not just a popular option.