City residents cry freedom as long weekend beckons

HYDERABAD: With an extended weekend coming up, a major chunk of the city's backpackers are off to holiday in various destinations. Bookings have soared by almost 40% compared to last weekend.
Also, as per figures from the National Highways Authority of India, the Nagpur highway and Mumbai highway together saw 4,000 additional vehicles on Thursday compared to regular nights.It is expected to tough 10,000 extra vehicles on Friday night itself. Domestic departures at the airport too are expected to go up from 15,000 to 17,000 on Friday and Saturday, airport sources said.
"This year, we saw a growth of almost 30% in inquires as against 20% last year and a growth of 25-30% in bookings as compared to 15-18% last year," said Neelu Singh, CEO and director, Ezeego1.
"Gulbarga, Hampi, Coorg, Gokarna and Kotagiri in Karnataka, Ooty , Conoor, Kodaikanal and Pondicherry in Tamil Nadu are some of the preferred destinations for Hyderabadis over the long weekend. Those extending their weekend are also travelling to Ladakh and Andaman and Nicobar islands as this is the best time to visit," she added.
For some, planning had started way ahead of the weekend. "Our group of 10 friends had made plans over a month ago and booked tickets and hotel in Goa, where hotel rooms are completely blocked now," said Shreyas Jain, a software programmer.
In fact, many have availed the option of working from home or taking additional days off to enjoy a whole week of leave. "Holiday packages of 6-7 days are the most popular among weekend travellers as they have to take only 2-3 days leave before or after the weekend," pointed out Karan Anand, head, relationships, Cox & Kings.