Tourism not likely to hit by slowdown blues

HYDERABAD:  This festival season, which is starting from Dasara (Vijayadashami) will most probably not feel the heat of the economic slowdown which is widely affecting both the public and private sectors. 
Ahead of the festival season, many people from Telangana have already planned their trips. Officials from different travel agencies, such as MakeMy Trip, inform a sharp increase in bookings for trips abroad. Meanwhile, the local travel agents are ringing  in their cash registers, as there is a huge demand from millennials this year for domestic travel.

For Vijayadashami, the directorate of school education has accorded 16 days of holidays this year for all government, private and aided schools and colleges. This is not just a good season for parents to plan their holidays, but also, with Dasara and Diwali falling between October 3 and October 27, many working professionals from IT and other sectors are opting for short getaways due to many long weekend opportunities. 

Speaking to the Express, the representative of a travel company claimed that there has been a spike in demand for foreign travel from people of the State. He added that the demand for travel abroad has increased by 19 per cent to 20 per cent for Dasara this year compared to the past few years.  “This year, Europe leads as the most preferred destination.Bookings to France, Spain and Italy are most in demand,” he said. 

While not all can afford expensive foreign trips, the rest are preferring short trips within the country, say city-based travel agents. “This year, we have received high demand for bookings from families, couples and solo travellers for short getaways to destinations like Goa, Gokarna, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Khandala, Lonavala and Pondicherry.

We have also observed an increase in demand for homestays, as it is less expensive and travellers, today, are looking for a more authentic domestic travel experience,” said a travel agent from Enkay Tour and Travels. Especially, as the data on Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA) from the ministry of tourism has not been encouraging, the travel industry is heavily banking on the festive season.