The Hindu Business Line : Travel industry sees boom in bookings

What are your plans for the long Good Friday weekend coming up in the middle of April? Will you be joining the growing number of travellers who are taking advantage of rock-bottom airfares offered by domestic low-cost airlines to take off to the Kashmir Valley or the sandy beaches of Goa?

Or perhaps you will find the attractions of the East Asia and Sri Lanka more tempting, especially in view of the lower airfares being offered by international airlines.

And if you are working with a corporate house, then there are chances that you might be river rafting or trekking, as these are off-site activities that corporates are looking at for the April 10-16 week, which so far has two gazetted holidays - Mahavir Jayanti and Good Friday.

But wherever you are planning to get away, be prepared to see a lot of others like you because the travel industry is reporting a boom in bookings for that week.

"This year, we have received a lot of bookings to destinations such as Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka for the long weekend in April. In the domestic market, there is great demand for Goa from people in Mumbai, and for the hills from travellers in Delhi. People are also flocking to Kashmir. The bookings have picked up and these destinations will see a huge demand," said the Executive Director, Cox & King, Mr Arup Sen. Echoing similar views, the Executive Director, the Bird Group, Mr Ankur Bhatia, said there has been a spurt in bookings for the Good Friday weekend both in the domestic and short haul international travel.

"The advent of low-cost air travel has made this type of travel all the more popular. We are noticing a growth of almost 12 per cent in bookings during the long holiday weekends this year as compared to the previous year," Mr Bhatia added.

The Director, Group Development, STIC Holiday Sensations, Ms Richa Goyal Sikri, said the company was getting a lot of queries from corporates to have off-site visits at places offering the possibility of river rafting or trekking during the Easter break.

"People are also coming forward for holidays at wildlife sanctuaries such as the Bhandavgarh and Kanha National Parks and at Jim Corbett Park," Ms Sikri added.