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Vietnam has emerged as one of the most sought-after destinations for Pune’s travellers lately. With a long summer ahead, travel agencies say, post-Covid tourists in the city are preferring countries that offer visas on arrival.
An official with the travel agency, Veena World, says: “Southeast Asia continues to draw tourists. One such country is Vietnam. Due to the long waiting period for Europe and Vietnam’s easy visa process, the Southeast Asian nation has become a tourist favourite in recent times. The country offers multiple terrains and can be covered in a week. Hence, it has become a yearlong destination for travellers from Pune.”
Switzerland continues to be the main attraction among European destinations. Although the visa process and restrictions regarding Covid-19 are lenient, the timeline for visa and bookings has been extended to two-three months due to the post-Covid rush. Shweta Dange from Travel Vista says, “Earlier, we used to get visas in 10 to 15 days, now we must wait even for an appointment.”
According to Mehboob Shaikh, chairman of the Travel Agents Association of India (Pune Chapter): “International travel has increased by 25-30 per cent from last year. People were able to save money during lockdowns and thus have higher spending power. Some domestic trips cost as much as Sri Lanka. Also, recently Sri Lanka has lowered prices and is trying to promote tourism in the hope to boost its economy. This has further prompted international travel.”
Within the country, Travel Agents Association of India (Pune chapter) data indicate that there has been a 10-15 per cent hike in hotel prices in Kashmir Valley. A return trip flight fare is estimated to be around Rs 24,000 to Rs 30,000. Earlier, travellers visited Kashmir in the summer months. However, this season there has been considerable interest for winters as well and the per-person cost for a Kashmir round trip is expected to be upwards of Rs 60,000.
According to Sameer Patil, an executive from Travo Planner: “Kashmir is attracting more tourists than ever and can sometimes lead to overcrowding.” Jammu Kashmir Tourism on its Twitter handle had on April 11 said that 50 per cent of hotels had been booked in advance this season.
Sujata Garge, a Pune resident who visited Kashmir early this April, says: “Srinagar airport was busy. There was a crowd at Sonmarg and a long queue but it was worth it. I do not mind the rush. The weather was so pleasant.”
In recent times, Northeast India has also garnered attention from travellers and has emerged as an offbeat choice. Shaikh observes that almost all the hotels they had called were booked in the Northeast. “The same is the case with transporters. People are also travelling to Uttarakhand, and though there is no snow, the pleasant weather attracts many tourists. Some stay as long as 10 days in Nainital,” Shaikh says.
Tourists have also shown interest in destinations visited by their favourite celebrities. “People want to visit places where Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif got married. They want to go to the same resort that Sara Ali Khan visited,” adds Shaikh.
People are also exploring the option of visiting Bhutan via road from Guwahati. Aditya Chauhan, a hotelier from Kanatal, a hill station in Uttarakhand, observes: “Tourists from Mumbai-Pune have increased. They usually stay for a week.” Pune to Uttarakhand trips have also been facilitated by flights to Dehradun.
