Summer prediction: Stormy with tonnes of wanderlust!
Indian travellers are buckling up for a sizzling summer season this year with early indicators from travel companies suggesting exponential demand. Bookings for the country's peak summer period of April-June are already 30-40% higher compared to last year.
Officials at domestic airlines told ET that while Indians will be out in full force for the summer season, an inadequate number of flights is likely to trigger a spike in air fares.
At online travel company Cleartrip, international flight bookings for the April to June period are 37% higher compared to the same period last year, said Gaurav Patwari, vice president for air category.
Domestic destinations also in demand
The European nation, popular for its natural beauty, maps visitor arrival numbers from different countries through booked hotel room nights. Group escorted tours for Thomas Cook are seeing a strong rebound, said Rajeev Kale, president and country head for holidays, MICE and visa at Thomas Cook (India).
“Topping the charts for our group tours business are long-haul markets led by Europe, up by over 38% compared to last year. Australia-New Zealand bookings are up by about 30% and US bookings, despite visa challenges, are up by 35-40% over last year,” he added. Kale said domestic destinations are also seeing robust demand with interest for spiritual destinations such as Char Dhams, Ayodhya and Dwarka about 30% higher over last year.
Uttarakhand received 4 million, 7.5 million and 8.3 million tourists in April, May and June, respectively, last year.
