First long weekend of the year gives a big tourism push

Industry upbeat with prospects, bookings pick with brisk demand

With Republic Day falling on a Friday, travellers are leveraging this opportunity to make the most of the long weekend, and tourism industry is witnessing brisk demand of over 25% YoY – for both domestic and closer to home locales. Besides, domestic destinations, short haul outbound destinations like Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Malaysia are witnessing demand for this extended weekend.

***FILE PHOTO: A child tries on a mask at a street vendor in Dharmsala, India, Saturday. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)***

Rajeev Kale – President & Country Head, Holidays, MICE, Visa – Thomas Cook (India) Limited, says, “Long weekends provide that much needed short break/ minication and customers are opting for popular winter destinations like Kashmir, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Kerala, North East, Goa and Andamans; also Nepal and Bhutan in the Indian subcontinent. Families, millennials and young professionals are also looking at drivecations to nearby offbeat destinations.

“Customers in/around Delhi are keen on short & driveable holidays to Naukuchiatal, Munsiyari, Kangra, Kanatal, Kausani, Shimla, Dharamshala, Mcleodganj, Nainital, Mussoorie; Rajmachi, Lohagad, Igatpuri, Lonavala, Matheran, Mahableshwar, Bhandardara, Amboli, Sindhudurg, Kolad, Kamshet, Kaas plateau and Panhala for customers in Mumbai/Maharashtra & Gujarat; Hampi, Gokarna, Coorg, Pondicherry, Kanyakumari for customers in Karnataka/Tamil Nadu.”

A noteworthy trend is the unique combinations/inclusions being selected by customers – a spiritual trip to the Golden Temple with a local meal and stay in a farmhouse and food trails; exciting winter experiences and lunch in the midst of an apple orchard in Shimla; biking across rugged terrain spa-wellness.

***FILE PHOTO: Members of a family from India walk and take pictures during their first time familiy holiday trip to Thailand at Patong beach in the island of Phuket, Thailand. REUTERS/Jorge Silva***

Kale adds, “We are witnessing demand for non-standard travel experiences and unconventional options like stays in machans/tree houses overlooking lush green tropical vegetation of Wayanad, Chikmagalur, Munnar, Thekkady; restored heritage fort in Goa, private villas with concierge services and a chef in Alibaug or plantation bungalows amidst rolling tea/coffee estates in Darjeeling, Assam or Coorg.”

Daniel D’Souza, President & Country Head – Holidays, SOTC Travel expressed similar views and says, “The upcoming Republic Day offers an attractive long weekend opportunity that is propelling travel desire – our data indicates an uptick of 25-30% vs. last year. Segments driving demand include multigenerational families, groups of friends, DINKs, Gen Z and Young India.”

Popular hill stations include Kashmir’s Srinagar, Pahalgam, Gulmarg; Himachal’s Khajjiar, Keylong, Bir Billing, McLeodganj; Uttarakhand’s Auli, Nainital, Kausani; Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang and Bomdila; West Bengal’s Kalimpong and Darjeeling; Mizoram’s Champhai and Aizawl; Sikkim’s Gangtok and Pelling; Meghalaya’s Shillong and Cherrapunji; Kerala’s Munnar, Thekkady; Tamil Nadu’s Yercaud, Kodaikanal, Ooty. Goa and Andaman continue to be a favourite beach destination.

Daniel says further, “Our data indicates high uptick for outdoor and adventure travel with biking trips and domestic cruises witnessing spike in customer interest; Pench, Kanha, Corbett, Ranthambore are leading customer safari favourites. Spiritual Tourism is on the upswing with Ayodhya leading preferences, followed by Puri, Amritsar, Kashi, Dwarka, Tirupati, Madhurai. Also, hidden gems like Netrani islands – a heart shaped island located in the Arabian Sea, Damro – longest enchanted hanging bridge in Arunachal Pradesh, and Vantawng falls – the highest and most spectacular waterfalls in Mizoram.

“Our demand trends indicate high interest for closer to home/easy and quick visa destinations like Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Indonesia, Oman, Ras Al Khaimah; also Bhutan from the Indian subcontinent.”

Indiver Rastogi, President & Group Head, Global Business Travel, Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC Travel said, “The first long weekend of the year is propelling travel desire and our data indicates brisk uptick of 25% YoY in demand. With Republic Day falling on Friday, our customers are making the most of this opportunity and extending their holidays by taking an additional day off to travel. Domestic and closer to home destinations are witnessing string demand not just from families/multigenerational families, but increasingly from our young professionals/millennials and couples segments.”

Airfares for popular routes – from various hubs like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kochi to Chandigarh, Srinagar, Japiur, Dehradun, Pondicherry, Bagdogra, Goa and Port Blair – have witnessed an increase of approx. 10-20% surge vs last year. In the Indian subcontinent, fares to Nepal and Colombo have witnessed an increase of 10-15%.

Airfares to closer to home/easy visa/free visa destinations including Pattaya, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bali, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Ras Al-Khaimah have increased by approx. 10-15%.