Jaipur: Brace up for traffic snarls in the city and on state highways. The long Christmas-New Year week has just started.
There will be a big rush of domestic tourists to Jaipur and other destinations in Rajasthan, especially post-Christmas and over the New Year weekend, according to the hospitality industry.
Many tourists from Delhi and the NCR region are likely to drive down to Jaipur and travel further to other destinations.
The rush that will begin on December 25 is expected to continue till January 1-2 at least. As usual, domestic tourists descending on the state will be more than foreign travelers during this period.
Majority of the bookings in hotels this year have come from neighboring states such as Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.
"With all the monuments located in Walled City, tourists and shoppers will choke up the area. While 90% of the hotels are already booked, a big attraction during this New Year celebration is going to be the largest discotheque opening at Marriott that can accommodate 500 people. Since most Indians book online, bookings will continue till the last moment," said Khalid Khan, president, Rajasthan Association of Tour Operators (RATO).
The New Year for the last few years has spelled boom for the hospitality industry. Other than Jaipur, there will a big rush of domestic tourists to cities such as Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Pushkar and Jodhpur, among others.
While a majority of the hotels across the state are reporting 85-90% occupancy during the weekend, Jaisalmer, the most favoured destination, is fully occupied. Hotels in the Shekhawati region have also reported full occupancy in recent years during this festive period.
"Santa is smiling on Jaisalmer. All the hotels are sold out during the long break. Air connectivity to Jaisalmer is a major reason as many can now usher in the New Year under stars on sand dunes here. This has happened despite sky-rocketing airfares," said Manvendra S Shekhawat, a hotelier from Jaisalmer.
Another destination that has always been a favourite with wildlife lovers is Ranthambhore. Surprisingly over the years, the rush of tourists from Gujarat to Ranthambhore has sharply declined.
"Ranthambhore is no longer a budget destination. Despite an increased room inventory, hotels from the luxury to mid-segment are all sold out. However, we have noticed is that the number of tourists from Gujarat is almost negligible," said Arvind Jain, whose hotel in Ranthambhore is also sold out.
