As August nears, travel-enthusiastic Indians are preparing to maximize the long weekends for multiple mini-cations. With three major holidays occurring this month, many are taking the chance to break from their routine and explore new destinations.
Several consumers have started planning and are gearing up to take full advantage of three major holidays — Independence Day (15th August), Raksha Bandhan (19th August) and Janmashtami (26th August). By combining these holidays with weekends, they plan to make the most of it by turning them into opportunities for a weekend getaway or mini-vacation. These holidays, conveniently placed near the weekly offs on Saturdays and Sundays, offer a perfect chance for travellers to make the most of the extended time off.
With a strategic intent to maximise on this potential, Thomas Cook (India) Limited - India’s leading omnichannel travel services company and its Group Company, SOTC Travel, have introduced a range of products for quick weekend getaways this August.
Travel agencies and online booking platforms have reported an exponent increase in inquiries and bookings for the long weekends in August. Popular tourist destinations, both domestic and international, are witnessing a surge in demand as families and individuals plan their getaways.
Destinations like Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Leh-Ladakh, Andamans, Kerala, Rajasthan, Goa, Karnataka and North East are among the top choices for domestic travelers. While, international destinations like Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam are seeing massive interest from Indian tourists.
“Indian travellers are value seekers. With the perfect combination of long weekends in August coupled with off-season monsoon discounts, travellers are now opting for multiple short breaks. Multi-generational families, couples, working professionals, millennials and group of friends are driving demand. Also, this being an election year, there has been an extension in the traditional holiday season up to end August,” said Mr. Daniel D’souza, President & Country Head, Leisure, SOTC Travel.
“With multiple festivals/bank holidays in August, travel hungry Indians are making the most of the opportunity and displaying high interest for short driveable trips; weekend & extended weekend getaways,” said Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head - Leisure Travel, MICE, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.
The increase in travel plans has provided much-needed relief to the travel and hospitality sector, which has faced difficulties over the past few years. Airlines, Hotels and tour operators are offering special packages and discounts to attract more customers.