Royal India tour: Sharp rise in holiday bookings after Kate Middleton and Prince William visit

Days after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge returned from their royal visit to India, TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals has said that they have seen a 25% increase in bookings to the subcontinent. The British royal couple were in India from 10 to 16 April, where they visited Mumbai, New Delhi and posed for an iconic image outside the Taj Mahal.

The royal tour to India and Bhutan marked Prince William and Princess Kate's first time in the region. The visit created a lot of interest in British media, with people closely following what the couple got up to during their time in the country.

While in Mumbai, Prince William said at a charity gala: "When Catherine and I were married, India was the first place on Catherine's list that she told me she wanted to visit. Two children and five years later, we have finally made it – and we are both honoured to be here."

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's visit to India prompted much interest within the country as well. In Mumbai the couple were greeted by some of Bollywood's most famous stars, including Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Farhan Akhtar and others. Meanwhile, Indian media were also quick to jump onto the royal bandwagon and reported much of what the couple got up to during their stay.

On 21 April a spokesperson for TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals confirmed that there had been a 25% rise in bookings for India since the media attention around the British royals visit. Mumbai, the royal couple's first stop in India, saw a spike in bookings by 200%.

Saskia Welman of TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals told IBTimes UK: "Increasingly we've noticed that when high profile public figures like the Royal Family are photographed in a destination, holidaymakers will actively search on TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals for properties in those locations. This developing trend is illustrated by the correlation between the high volume of media coverage resulting from the Duke and Duchess' trip to India and the recent surge in demand for the country on the site."

A spokesperson for Kensington Palace said that the tour had been a "huge success" in deepening the UK's relationship with the people of India and thanked India for their hospitality and warmth during the Duke and Duchess' stay.

This article was updated at 7.21am on 22 April to include a statement from TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals.