Diwali no longer seems to be binding people to their homes. This year, many more people are taking the long weekend off for a short holiday, and this is just the beginning of a promising holiday season.
Whether its the beaches of Goa and Kerala or the mountains up north, all the traditional holiday spots in the country are completely sold out for Diwali and the mandatory New Year celebrations. Internationally too, the popular South-east Asian destinations are attracting weekend holidays.
But what's new and exotic this season are packages to South America and the Scandinavian countries. And though a bit more steeply priced than the regular packages, at about a Rs 1 lakh per person for 10 days, these holidays are finding quite a few adventurous travellers. Travel companies are reporting record business this year. Chairman and Managing Director, Raj Travels, Lalith Sheth told CNBC-TV18, "Business is up by 50%-80%."
What is interesting this year is that, more people are opting to travel in groups - a trend that was declining over the past few years. Travel agents say, that is because there is a dramatic increase in the number of middle income families travelling overseas for the first time, who look for security in numbers. In fact, quite a few people are forming their own groups and customising their holiday. So much so that the director of Kesari Tours, Veena Patil says, "We have sent honeymoon couples in groups."
But packages this year are about 4%-5% more expensive over last year. Travel companies say that this trend is likely to continue. If fuel prices continue to soar, airlines will be forced to raise fares and with hotels increasing tariffs every year, packages are likely to cost at least 10% more next year. Despite this, travel agents are hoping this will not deter the 15%-20% growth that the industry has been witnessing over the last few years.
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