New Delhi|Mumbai: Long weekends this month, including Independence Day on August 15, have led to something of a bonanza for hotels and airlines with tariffs skyrocketing and some popular destinations said to be sold out.The spiel isn’t subtle.
“Get independence from boredom. Talk to the stars from the deck of Burj Khalifa in Dubai, shop till you drop in Bangkok, or watch the changing colours of sky in Zanskar valley.” That’s SpiceJet, urging flyers to travel to take advantage of August 15 (Independence Day, Parsi New Year) and August 19 (Rakshabandhan). Alternatively, the carrier also suggests August 24-26 (Janmashtami is on August 26).
And, if you happen to be inUttar Pradesh, this Friday’s a holiday there.
Popular Destinations Sold Out
Thanks to the rush, a superior king room at The Taj Rishikesh Resort & Spa costs ₹41,300 on August 2 on Booking.com.
The Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur is charging ₹1.64 lakh plus ₹29, 610 in taxes for August 15 for a luxury suite with two-way airport transfers on Booking.com. A queen family river view room at the Hilton Goa Resort in Candolim is available for ₹19,470, including taxes, for August 24.
While Udaipur is the most popular domestic destination for the long weekends, other leisure hotspots within drivable distance from the metros– Jaipur, Lonavala, Ooty, Goa, Mahabaleshwar–are also seeing an increase in searches as Indians look at capitalising on the extended time off, said Santosh Kumar, country manager, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia at Booking.com. Four of the ZANA Luxury Resorts and Country Inn Resorts in Bhimtal, Jim Corbett and Ranthambore are already sold out for the Independence Day long weekend, said Akhil Arora, CEO and MD, Espire Hospitality Group.
“Our ZANA Resort in Udaipur and the Country Inn resort in Goa are also fairly booked to capacity and are expected to be sold out soon,” he added.
FIVE-DAY FACTOR
So far, more than 15,000 air bookings have been received for the Independence Day long weekend on Cleartrip. “This represents an approximately 37% increase in bookings compared to the immediate previous weekend,” a Cleartrip spokesperson said in a response to queries sent by ET. MakeMyTrip has seen a “significant” increase in bookings across all sectors, from domestic flights and hotels to international travel. “The five-day holiday bonanza, enhanced by the festival of Rakhi falling closer to Independence Day weekend compared to last year, has contributed significantly,” said Rajesh Magow, cofounder and group CEO, MakeMyTrip.
Sailing Forth
Bookings for sailings in August have gone up by 80-100% compared with August last year for Cordelia Cruises. “The recent focus on cruise tourism has significantly boosted interest,” said Jurgen Bailom, president and CEO of Cordelia Cruises. Ixigo has seen a 40-50% increase in flight bookings for travel on August 14-20 this year from the year earlier, said group CEO Aloke Bajpai. “Domestic destinations like Dehradun, Mumbai and Goa have seen an average of 40-45% year-on-year increase in bookings and searches,” he said. “Spiritual destinations are also seeing a notable rise in popularity for travellers with Varanasi and Amritsar leading the way with 84% and 81% year-on-year increase in flight bookings.”
At Echor Hotels & Resorts, which has boutique properties in Manali, Jibhi and Dharamshala, 45% of the inventory is sold out for the August 15 long weekend, said director Manoj Sihag.
Indians are using the three long weekend slots in August for “minications,” according to Thomas Cook and SOTC Travel. They’ve seen a 25% increase in searches for domestic and short-haul overseas destinations. The two companies said the top domestic destinations are Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Goa while Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Dubai and Thailand are the short-haul favourites.
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