Kerala, Goa and Rajasthan: Top destinations for New Year

NEW DELHI: If local tourists were audacious in experimenting with foreign destinations and longer breaks last year, the travails of the economic slowdown have made them choose short-haul spots in India this time.

Kerala, Goa and Rajasthan have emerged as the top three destinations for holidaying this New Year as Indians prefer a quick and quiet retreat in a season marked by low-key celebrations and even lower bookings. And both Christmas and New Year maybe only a few days away, but a large chunk of enquiries were initiated only in the past few days.

The lukewarm response is despite lower hotel prices and 50% discounts for spouses or no charge for including children.

���Traditionally, the year-end is considered the second-largest holiday season for Indians after the summer break when they all travel with families. This season, we have seen a marked shift towards domestic destinations,��� says SOTC chief operating officer Sunil Gupta. He said 10-12% of the holidayers have given up on foreign locales and shifted to domestic destinations.

Added Cox and Kings executive director Arup Ghosh, ���We have noticed people are going to domestic destinations for 4-5 days.��� Even for foreign shores, domestic travellers are choosing to stay within South-east Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, which are cheaper and easily accessible.

A 4-day/3-night trip to Goa will cost Rs 9,250 per person (inclusive of accommodation, travel insurance and meals but airfare). Similarly, a 5-day/6-night trip to Kerala covering four cities would cost Rs 16,000 per person excluding airfare.

Choosing an international locale means shelling Rs 32,000-35,000 per person for a 5-6 day trip to Malaysia and Rs 43,000-Rs 45,000 for a 3-4 day trip to Singapore.

But the overall sentiment for holiday travel is low. As per market estimates, holiday business is down 20-25% this December compared to last year.

ITC Fortune Hotels president Suresh Kumar said, ���The overall sentiment is low due to obvious reasons.���