Long weekend business booming for hotels, cruises, travel firms
Cordelia Cruises, said Cordelia has a 100% sold out status for this Mahashivratri long weekend as well as for a cruise starting on Holi. Close to 4,000 guests will be on board for both the cruises.
“How Indians used to cruise has changed post the Covid-19 pandemic,” Bailom said. “One of our key strategies has been to ensure we cater to weekend travellers who would like to holiday without taking too much time off work,” he added.
The long weekends business has turned out to be a money spinner for hotels and travel companies post the pandemic, and most key properties in the north and west are sold out for the long weekends this month. Some are available at very steep rates.
A family suite at The Raj Palace (Small Luxury Hotels of the World) in Jaipur, for instance, is available for Rs 10.4 lakh plus Rs 1.87 lakh in taxes and fees for two nights for two adults this weekend. The Taj Rishikesh Resort & Spa in Uttarakhand has a premium villa king bed available for about Rs 1.13 lakh for two nights.
Indians are leveraging every opportunity to take a “minication”, said Rajeev Kale, president and country head for holidays, MICE and Visa at Thomas Cook (India). The company’s data reflects a 25%-30% year-on-year surge for long weekend breaks across both domestic and outbound destinations, he said.
Daniel D’Souza, president and country head for holidays at SOTC Travel, said the travel company's data for this weekend indicates a 30% jump in travel compared to previous weekends this year.
Shahzad Aslam, head of sales at
