According to Indian Express, There Has been a 20% rise in travel
bookings ahead of Navratri this year, show records of travel websites. This,
even after the tourists, who are planning trips back home or to other
destinations, being largely affected by the spike in airfares. While several
are looking to visit Bangalore, Delhi and Gujarat for Dussehra holidays, many
are planning to take short trips of three to four days.
Karan Anand, Head (Relationships), Cox
& Kings said, “The upcoming Dussehra break presents a good opportunity to
take up short trips. Bookings for the weekend are soaring up to 20%,
with travellers showing significant interest in domestic destinations.”
“With this being festival time, people
mainly travel to witness the celebrations in different parts of the country.
While many visit Mysore for the Dussehra celebrations at Mysore Palace, others
visit New Delhi for Ramlila shows and Mumbai and Gujarat for dandiya and garba
nights. Kolkata is a major tourist attraction for Durga Puja, Sindur Khela and
the dhaak and dhanuchi competitions,” he added.
According to travel website Yatra, a spike
in airfares this time, when compared to last year, has pinched the pockets of
tourists. For example, while the lowest fare of a one-way trip to Delhi from
Mumbai was INR 1,165 in October 2017, it is now INR 2,559. There has been a spike
in airfares for November also.
“We at Yatra.com are witnessing a mix of
travellers visiting their hometowns and those opting various off-beat destinations
for short trips. This trend has been noticed despite a hike in the fares on
popular routes such as Mumbai-Bangalore, Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata,” said
Sharat Dhall, COO, Yatra.com. “The steep spike in the fares when compared to
last year can be attributed to various reasons like increase in passenger load
factor and surge in fuel charges among others. These announcements ahead of the
peak travel season will affect the fare chart adversely. Moreover, with rupee
depreciating at this pace, the outbound tourism is likely to be impacted,” he
added.