Puneites make the most of Diwali break

Cox & Kings has seen a 30 per cent rise in domestic bookings and 25 per cent rise in out-bound holidays this Diwali. Those staying in Mumbai-Pune and Ahmedabad belt prefer to drive down to local hill stations such as Lonavala, Khandala, Mahabaleshwar and Matheran, among others. Those who prefer holidays outside the state opt for Kerala, Goa, Andamans and also the North-East. People also prefer Nepal as Mumbai is connected to Kathmandu by direct flights.

Among the international holiday destinations, according to Karan Anand, head (relationships) at Cox and Kings, people are inclined to travel to Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Among these destinations, the most favoured are Langkawi and Penang in Malaysia, Krabi in Thailand and also some theme parks in Singapore. Newer destinations currently in favour are Vietnam and Cambodia, which has a lot of cultural influence amongst Indians. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are all-time favourites, so is Oman for its natural beauty, he added.

Going by the survey findings of a leading travel search engine named Skyscanner, it is Bali that has emerged as the favourite destination for Indian travellers this Diwali break, followed by Paris, Colombo and Singapore.

The engine has witnessed more than 119.6 per cent increase in searches for international flights this Diwali season.

“With a 119.6 per cent YoY increase in searches to international destinations, it is evident that Indian travellers are increasingly exploring a variety of destinations to spend Diwali this year. While Bali is the top destination this festive season, we also expect to see an increased interest in other parts of Indonesia with the recent free visa facilities for Indian travellers,” says Kavitha Gnanamurthy, senior marketing manager at Skyscanner India.

Daniel D’souza, head of sales for India and NRI markets (tour operating) at Kuoni India, says the Diwali festival has come at an appropriate time of the week this year, enabling travellers to enjoy the long weekend.

Talking about the trend, he says foreign destinations are preferred over the domestic one.

The industry has witnessed 30% growth in international holiday preferences, Dubai, Thailand and Malaysia being some of the preferred destinations.

Domestic travel has also increased by 25 per cent and places likes Goa, Manali, Himachal Pradesh, Eastern Himalayas and Andaman are preferred, says D’souza.