BENGALURU: Travel addicts want to chill, literally. Taking a detour from stereotypical beaches in India and overseas, many Bengalureans have been opting to pose as snow bunnies in subzero temperatures in some of the world’s coldest destinations like Russia, Finland and Norway since December. Travel industry executives have noted a good jump in this budget-friendly sector and say the itinerary goes beyond the usual skispots and igloos.
Take the case of traveller Sanchit Malhotra, currently on the last leg of his cold winter holiday in London after covering Helsinki and Rovaniemi in Finland. He wanted to experience snowfall and panoramic winter scenery in minus-15 degree temperature.
Of course, the Northern Lights, reindeer and husky rides and dining at a makeshift snow-hotel took Malhotra back to the enchanting storybooks of his childhood days.
Northern Lights in Longyearbyen city, Norway Svalbard. “Subzero holiday destinations lead to some of the warmest memories,” says Malhotra, adding, “We were tired of the routine Bollywood locales for New Year. Living the unusual life in extreme climatic conditions was challenging yet magical. I will take the cruise to the North Pole next Christmas.”
Moscow was the chosen winter weather getaway for businessman Aditya Kumar in December. He visited Moscow earlier in the year but wanted to see the city covered in sleet and snow.
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Kumar went sailing on a boat on the frozen Moscow River, walked on the city’s high streets and subways that showcased snow installations and festive decoration.
“There is no ‘best time of the year’ to visit a country. The same place is so different in each season,” says Kumar, who now wishes to visit all major cities like New York and London in subzero weather.
Gapstow Bridge at Central Park, Manhattan in New York City. Travel experts note that exploring a country in subzero temperature is the new addition to the bucket list of Bengalureans. Seema Jaising of Che Experiences & Travels says, “There is a 20% year-on-year growth in the White Christmas travel sector. Earlier, people booked routine South East Asia and the US. Now they want to see Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland in winter.” She adds that popular activities booked are reindeer rides, visiting Christmas markets, catching the Northern Lights, and visiting the busiest post office in the world in Santa Town (Finland).
According to the trend report by travel platform Expedia, it is interestingly only cold countries — Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Moldova and Latvia — that have emerged as the top five holiday destinations for 2019.
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Manmeet Ahluwalia, marketing head for Expedia in India, says, “The trend to experience extreme winters in cold locations increased by 25% this year. Travelling in winter to these locations is comparatively cheaper as it is off-season. The Christmas and New Year holidays also give people a reason to take a vacation.”
India was not far from the radar. Many chose to spend White Christmas in domestic cold getaways. Travel booking platform Ixigo notes how travellers dropped traditional holiday spots like Goa for colder spots this winter. “There was a 34% jump in bookings to Srinagar and Leh from Bengaluru with an unusual 14% drop in bookings to Goa in December 2018. A small section of travellers also opted to visit international off-season destinations including Germany, New York, Edinburgh and Iceland for a snow-filled vacation,” says co-founder Aloke Bajpai.
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