New year affords 16 'long weekend' opportunities, Sept alone has three

MUMBAI: Seven holidays are 'lost' to

weekends

and Wednesdays (that nixes the opportunity to club a weekend with a holiday with only a day's leave in between) in 2018, but there are more long-weekend possibilities in the new year than the outgoing year. In 2017, there were 13 extended weekends; 2018 offers three more (see box).

In all, there are 16 chances (if you add a day's leave to club a holiday with a weekend) for quick getaways, and tourist agencies are already selling plans to the early birds. Atul Mohile, general secretary of the Maharashtra Tour Organisers' Association that has over 200 tour operators as members, said other than the Konkan, which has seen a rise in the number of resorts in the recent past, weekend-crazy Mumbaikars prefer short jaunts abroad to places like Bali, Vietnam, Cambodia,

Sri Lanka

and Maldives as they offer attractive packages with affordable fares. "Due to the increasing number of cruises to and from Mumbai, a larger number of middle class tourists are booking them. Some of them go to destinations like Sri Lanka and Maldives," he said.

At least three long weekends are falling in September, followed by two each in October and February.

On the flip side, holidays like Gudi Padwa, Ram Navami, Ambedkar Jayanti, Rakshabandhan and Anant Chaturdashi are falling either on Sundays or second or fourth Saturdays.