PUNE: Travellers are making the most of the upcoming long weekend as Eid-e-Milad and the last day of Ganeshotsav are soon followed by Gandhi Jayanti on October 2. By taking leave on Friday, many can create a mini-vacation from Thursday to Monday.
Bookings have increased by 25% compared to previous long weekends, said Santosh Gupta, owner of travel firm Shree Vinayak Holidays. "Popular destinations during this period include Goa, Varanasi, Jaipur, Thailand and Dubai," Gupta said, adding that Thailand and Dubai are favoured for visa policies.
Besides, a return trip to Dubai is now available at an affordable price, with some options costing less than Rs 30,000, while airfares to Phuket are cheaper than those to Bangkok. "Affordable fares have encouraged travellers to explore Dubai without overspending. Airfares to Goa have risen, leading travellers from Pune, Nashik, and Mumbai to opt for road trips instead. Car rentals and self-drive bookings have increased accordingly," he added.
Aloke Bajpai, co-founder and group CEO of ixigo, said the online portal had seen a 44% week-on-week increase in flight searches for the Gandhi Jayanti weekend.
"Goa, Jaipur, Varanasi, Pune, Coorg, Dubai, Singapore and Maldives are some of the popular destination picks for the upcoming weekend. A majority of the travellers are planning a four- to five-day-long family holiday," Bajpai said.
Neha Madaan is a senior feature writer at The Times of India, Pun...
Read MoreNeha Madaan is a senior feature writer at The Times of India, Pune. She holds an M A degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from University of Pune. She covers tourism, heritage development and its conservation, apart from an array of subjects such as civic issues, environment, astronomy, civic school education as well as social issues concerning persons with disabilities. Her interests include metaphysical research and animal rights.
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