Indians look at local holidays
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Indian travellers are choosing domestic, short-haul spots this holiday season, according to a report in the Economic Times.
Kerala, Goa and Rajasthan have emerged as the top three destinations for holidaying this New Year as Indians prefer a quick and quiet retreat in a season marked by low-key celebrations and even lower bookings, the report said. Christmas and New Year may be only a few days away, but a large chunk of enquiries were initiated only in the past few days, it added.
It said the lukewarm response was despite lower hotel prices and 50% discounts for spouses or no charge for including children.
“Traditionally, the year-end is considered the second-largest holiday season for Indians after the summer break when they all travel with families. This season, we have seen a marked shift towards domestic destinations,” SOTC Chief Operating Officer, Sunil Gupta, was quoted saying. According to him, 10-12% of the holiday makers had given up on foreign destinations and shifted to domestic ones.
Cox and Kings Executive Director, Arup Ghosh, had also noticed a shift towards going to domestic destinations for 4-5 days.
Even with foreign shores, domestic travellers were choosing to stay within Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, which are cheaper and easily accessible, Ghosh was quoted saying.
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