30 Sundays Releases Insights on How Bali Travel Has Changed for Indian Couples

Business Wire India

30 Sundays, an AI-native holiday planning and booking platform, today released insights into how Indian couples are now planning their Bali holidays. The insights highlight a preference for split stays, island overnights and dedicated leisure time. Drawing on approximately 2,800 completed itineraries and post-trip feedback, the findings point to couples combining varied experiences with time to unwind.

According to the company’s data, 61.2% of its completed 2026 itineraries included at least one day without pre-booked tours, compared with 43.9% in 2025. Across the itineraries analysed, 37.8% included overnight stays on Nusa Penida, Gili Trawangan or both, while Ubud and Seminyak emerged as the most frequently chosen bases.

To Indian couples with a love for travel, Bali’s appeal is hardly new. Its scale, though, is a different story. BPS Bali recorded the highest ever 6,948,754 direct international arrivals in 2025, up 9.72% from 2024, with India as the second-largest source market.

However, it isn’t just scale that defines the Bali travel story now. It is that the way in which this generation of couples travel and what they expect from a Bali trip, has also undergone a 360 degree-change.

30 Sundays’ booking, itinerary and post-trip feedback data suggests Indian couples are no longer treating Bali as one base with a list of day tours. They are dividing the trip into distinct chapters: a jungle resort stay, a beach stay, an island overnight and, increasingly, a day to do nothing.

1. Ubud and Seminyak over Kuta

For years, Kuta was the default starting point for a Bali holiday. It remains popular, but traffic, more concrete jungles, and overcrowding, have made it less appealing to modern couples wanting a quieter and relaxed trip.

30 Sundays’ data reflects that Ubud and Seminyak are now the anchor bases of choice, appearing in 97.7% and 83.4% of itineraries respectively. Island stays have moved firmly into the mainstream, with Nusa Penida appearing in 34.3% of itineraries and Gili Trawangan in 27.6%. By comparison, Kuta features in just 10%, Nusa Dua in 7.2%, Uluwatu in 1.5% and Canggu in 1.3%.

Couples appear to be assigning each base a more defined role: Ubud for culture, wellness and access to central, eastern and northern routes; Seminyak for beach time, dining and the south; and the islands for a distinct overnight chapter. The change reflects that couples want to spend less time navigating congestion, and more time closer to their chosen experience.

Table 1. Base as percentage of all travelled itineraries i.e. 2800+ itineraries. Percentages are non-exclusive because one itinerary may include several bases. Source: 30 Sundays, Oct 2026.

2. More ‘Bali-plus’ itineraries with multi-island stays

Four in ten tracked itineraries included at least one night on Nusa Penida or Gili Trawangan – a meaningful departure from using central or southern Bali as a launchpad for every excursion. These aren’t merely transfers anymore but mark the start of a new stay.

Cars and motorbikes not being allowed on the Gili islands lend higher appeal to Gili Trawangan, especially for couples who prefer a slower rhythm. Staying overnight on Nusa Penida offers a similar advantage as couples can spend more than one day sightseeing, rather than compressing the island into a rushed return tour.

Table 2. As a percentage of total travelled itineraries. Source: 30 Sundays, Oct 2026.

3. A Doing Nothing Day is the New Couples’ Favourite

One of the strongest signals in data is what travellers are choosing not to schedule. 30 Sundays found that 61.2% of Y2026 travelled itineraries included at least one leisure day – one with no pre-booked tours compared to 43.9% of the Y2025 travelled itineraries.

It isn’t that couples want to see less but protecting cherished experiences from the fatigue of packed schedules is now a priority. A day without scheduled sightseeing gives couples room to enjoy the resort or simply slow down. A demanding sunrise or island day works differently when followed by a slow floating breakfast, a spa appointment, or an unplanned afternoon by the pool.

4. Bali now offers much more than beaches

The experience data becomes more useful when reach and satisfaction are read together. The South Bali Excursion, ATV at Ubud, and Swing at Bali combine broad uptake with positive ratings above 91%.

The most interesting outlier is the Mount Batur Jeep Safari – appearing in only 11.9% of itineraries, but rated positively by 96.5% of participants- making it the highest approval score in the set. Among other well-loved activities, floating breakfast is selected by 25.6% with a 80% positive-rating and a candlelight dinner by the beach gets a 29.2% reach with 82.5% rating it favourably. List of top 5 most loved experiences:

Table 1. Experience reach versus positive rating. ‘Positively rated by’ is defined as a share of feedback from participants (typically 35% of the travelled itineraries). Source: 30 Sundays, Oct 2026.

5. What Underperforms and Why

The weakest experiences were not necessarily the least scenic. They were the ones where logistics and expectations fell out of balance. Four patterns stand out in the post-trip feedback.

Table 2. Share of ‘Not for me’ rating from all the respective experience ratings (Criteria: Min 50+ ratings). Source: 30 Sundays post-trip feedback, Oct 2026.

The lesson is simple: the itinerary should not optimise for the maximum number of pins on a map, but for the quality of the day. That means fewer long multi-stop circuits, more honest transfer times, and greater care in matching an operator to the traveller’s expectations.

Catering to This Changing Philosophy

Rather than pushing add-ons and bloated itineraries, 30 Sundays approaches trip planning from an advisory lens. According to CEO and co-founder Kshitij Chaudhary, the goal is simple: ensure travellers see the complete picture of their journey before committing.

Verdict: Plan Bali as an Experience, Not a Checklist

Bali has become less forgiving of default planning. The modern itinerary needs to be better-paced and inclusive of non-checklist moments. Rest days now sit at the centre of couples’ travel and providers being mindful of this need are bound to become a top choice.

Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire India. Publication takes no editorial responsibility for the same.