The third Sunday of June (Father’s Day) is now getting noticed like the second Sunday of May (Mother’s Day), thanks to special discounts offered by various companies to children wanting to gift happiness to their fathers.

The first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in the United States to complement the Mother’s Day. Interestingly, this was the brainchild of a woman, Sonora Smart Dodd, who decided to observe Father’s Day to express gratitude to her father.

As Indians too celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday (June 21), a number of companies have joined the bandwagon, offering attractive discounts.

Holiday destinations

“Nearly 40 sons and daughters have booked holidays for their fathers on iTraveller.com for the holiday season in November-December. The travel firm customised a holiday for fathers, offering a 25% discount for holidaying in Kerala and 15-20% on other destinations including Mauritius, Thailand, Bali and Maldives,” Shiju Radhakrishnan, Founder and CEO of Bengaluru-based company, told BusinessLine on Friday.

The company’s promotional tagline was: “Your dad would love a surreal, serene place and enjoy the beauty. What can be better than a place like Kerela? iTraveller.com helps in pampering your dad on this day within your budgets.”

More than half of those who ‘pampered’ their dads, booked holiday destinations in Kerala. “We normally have 120-130 bookings a month in summer for the next holiday season. The fact that a third of these were from children celebrating Father’s Day, is interesting.”

Car rides

Some kids would, however, like their fathers to go on a luxury car ride. EcoRentACar, as it did last year also, is offering 10% discount to those who would like to take their fathers in a limousine. Said Adiya Loomba, Joint Managing Director, EcoRentACar, “This year, too, we already have six bookings. Sons and daughters have booked the two premium luxury cars we have — the American Chrysler “stretched limousines”. These limos are 28-feet-long, each equipped with a bar and an audio-video system. For a two-hour ride, its tariff is ₹15,000 and another ₹5,000 is charged for every extra hour”.

UrbanClap.com, which offers professional household services, has rolled out special services like yoga instructors, guitar teachers, massaging, etc for fathers at their doorsteps.

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