Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI:
Holi spells fun and fun spells Goa. No wonder, for the long Holi weekend, most travellers are headed to Goa. Online homestay marketplace Airbnb reports a nearly 330% increase in searches for south Goa, which has emerged as India’s most popular getaway for the upcoming Holi and Easter long weekends.
Online aggregator MakeMyTrip also reports Goa being the most favoured destination this weekend.With Holi on a Monday and Good Friday right after, many are making a long holiday of it as well, taking the entire week off between these two dates.Considered a religious festival, Holi holidayers are also seeking spiritual travel. Rajeev Kale, president and country head, holidays, MICE, Visa-Thomas Cook, said locales like Barsana, Nandgaon, Mathura, Gokul and Dau-G centered around the life and times of Lord Krishna are popular destinations this weekend.
“We are also witnessing high interest for Char Dham and Anant Kashi Ayodhya Yatra tours covering Varanasi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya.” Rajesh Magow, co-founder and group CEO, MakeMyTrip, added, “Hotel bookings for religious destinations such as Puri, Varanasi, and Amritsar have doubled since last year, emerging as the second most preferred category after beaches.”Kale said visa-free entry has been a game-changer for destinations like Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand, resulting in a significant increase in interest. “Sri Lanka has seen maximum benefit with demand up by 40%, followed by Malaysia at 35% and Thailand at over 30%,” he said.
Daniel D’Souza, president and country head, holidays, SOTC Travel, said they are observing significant interest for outdoor and adventure activities that include biking trips, white water rafting, paragliding, camping, trekking, snowboarding, kayaking and cruises for the Holi week. He said people are also keen on exploring lesser-known places like Netrani islands, a heart shaped island located in the Arabian Sea; Damro, the longest hanging bridge in Arunachal Pradesh; and Mizoram’s Vantawng falls.”Indian travellers are increasingly seeking unique and memorable experiences, moving beyond traditional holiday seasons to embrace every opportunity for exploration,” said Amanpreet Bajaj, general manager at Airbnb India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Interestingly, airfares have dropped for the Holi weekend, luring travellers even more. Indiver Rastogi, president & group head, global business travel, Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC Travel, said for the upcoming long break, they have seen a 6-10% drop in airfares (compared to Holi last year) for domestic favourites like Srinagar, Chandigarh, Andamans, Bagdogra, Goa and Jaipur from hubs of Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kochi. “On the short-haul international front, too, airfares to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al-Khaimah have dropped by about 20% and Bali by about 10%,” he said.
