The upcoming long weekend from October 31 to November 3 has provided the perfect opportunity for those who love to travel. According to both government and private tour operators, travel itineraries for this weekend were made almost two to three months ago.
“All our packages and properties are booked 100% for next week. Most of these bookings came almost two months ago,” said Mahesh Babu, general manager (admin), Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC).
While October 31 and November 2 are Deepavali holidays, an additional holiday on November 1 on account of Kannada Rajyotsava and November 3 being a Sunday, there are four straight holidays making it the perfect time to travel. Many people have also taken two days off before or after the weekend, to have a longer vacation.
“My husband and I locked down these dates almost three months ago. We initially thought we would travel during the Independence Day weekend, but there are more holidays during this weekend and hence, we chose these dates. We have taken two extra leave days after the weekend to have ample time for our plans,” said Nikitha S.K., a resident of Basavanagudi.
Acknowledging this trend, Santhosh Kanna, senior vice-president (holidays), Thomas Cook (India), said: “With our customers leveraging every opportunity to travel, Deepavali is being maximised for a travel break of three to seven/eight nights and our data reflects a 30% uptick in demand.”
He added: “Working professionals are clubbing the bank holiday with a weekend and creating a mini-cation for closer-to-home driveable locations or taking a few days off from work for longer getaways.”
Mysuru, Kodagu continue to be favourites
With many countries like Malaysia and Sri Lanka providing a visa-free travel opportunity to Indians, travellers are making the most of it. “Along with that, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan have emerged as new favourites,” Mr. Kanna noted.
Within India, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Goa are some of the favourite destinations.
For those travelling locally, Mysuru, Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada, and Chikkamagaluru continue to be favourites owing to their easy accessibility and plenty of accommodation options. “Mysuru, Jog Falls, and coastal Karnataka seem to be the preferred destinations for our customers who are booking customised packages,” said Mr. Babu.
Travelling home
Along with vacations, many people from Bengaluru will also be travelling to their hometowns on account of the festival during the next week. “Travel trends during Deepavali indicate an increase in people traveling to their hometowns to celebrate with family and friends. This trend is also evident in Bengaluru, where there has been a significant increase in bookings to tier 1 and tier 2 cities within the country,” said Cleartrip, an online travel agency.
The air travel data from the company shows that there has been a 1.49% year-on-year spike in the number of bookings made from Bengaluru to Patna, 1.34% increase to Jaipur, and 1.17% increase to Kolkata, among other cities.
Published – October 27, 2024 07:00 am IST
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