Tired of your monotonous life? Give a break!

There was a time when a holiday meant a lazy twomonth spell when the whole family packed into a rather rickety Ambassador and headed off to a grandparent���s place and managed to throw in a week or two in the hills or by the sea. Fast forward to the present and what have you?

24X7 work hours and the helter-skelter struggle as you try to juggle work, home and everything in between. Sooner, rather than later, it���s all a blur, and you can���t possibly wait till the next summer break to recharge those batteries. The solution, a weekend getaway!

Short and simple it might be, but think twice before you plan it. According to industry estimates it���s a $1-billion market in India and the south can lay claim to nearly half of that. The best part, it���s an industry in its infancy and with tremendous potential to grow.

Sample this. Those from Karnataka would remember the three-day weekend they got for Kannada New Year ��� Ugadi. Every single airline from Bangalore to Goa, incidentally a hot favourite for those looking to make a break from Bangalore, as booked out almost a week in advance!

And it���s exactly this latent market that the tourism industry is waking up to. For Kovalam-based resort owner Ranjit Mathew, the bulk of the clientele hail from Western Europe. ���But now we realise the young crowd especially the techies, want a piece of the action as well. And so, we are looking at designing special packages for them,��� he says.

Keyur Joshi, COO & co-founder of MakeMyTrip.com, says nearly 60-65% of their total bookings constitute weekend getaways. In terms of total sales in the south Indian market, approximately 40% is contributed by the weekend holidays category. So who are the ones who pack their bags and take off when weekend comes?

Here are the demographics. They are young and in the 25-40 bracket. They usually fall in the A and A+ income groups. The travel bug has bitten them and they want to see a bit of the world, albeit a world a couple of hundred kilometres from home. They are either single or young couples and the holiday ends when kids reach the school-going age.

Are weekend getaways biting into the traditional holiday market? No, feels Ashish Kishore, head of Hotels and Retail Business at Yatra.com. ���The week or fortnight-long summer break still stands. Weekend getaways are over and above that. With longer working hours, the social timeline is constrained and one no longer has much quality time with the family. A weekend break is the perfect way to make up for this.���

The government is beginning to realise the potential of the sector and wants a pie of the market so far tapped by private players. Says Mr IM Vittala Murthy, tourism secretary of Karnataka: ���As more and more people opt for the holiday circuits close to cities, we are trying to give the segment a boost. The government is spending a lot of money to build up quality infrastructure and to provide accommodation , especially for budget travellers.���

So what are the favourite destinations down south? Beaches it seems are in when it���s rest and rejuvenation one���s looking for. Right from Goa and Gokarna and down the Malabar to Varkala and Kovalam. On the East Coast, Pondicherry with its oldworld French charm and Mahabalipuram with its shore temples lure quite a few vacationers.

If heading to the hills, is your idea of a stress buster or beating the summer heat, then the south has a slew of options. From the better-known Ooty, Kodaikanal and Munnar to quieter pockets like Yellagiri, Srisailam, Coorg, Wayanad and Chikmagalur.

If it���s the cultural circuit you want to experience, Hampi, Belur and Halebedu in Karnataka, the temple towns of Tamil Nadu and Fort Kochi in Kerala are ideal. For nature and wildlife buffs, there���s Bandipur, BR Hills and Thekkady. For a different experience try angling at Bhimeshwari or a houseboat ride on Kerala���s backwaters.

The lure of these places is their stark contrast from city life. Jose Ramapuram, director of marketing at The Orange County Hotels and Resorts, sums it up best: ���People want the diametric opposite of what cities have to offer. So out with the concrete structures of steel and glass and polished granite. Give them the rustic touch or a taste of the local culture and most of all, give them peace and quiet.��� Need we say more?