Travelers are looking to welcome the New Year in high spirits!

The roads less traveled in 2020 are filling up again. Hotel rooms are taken, New Year packages are selling out. The long-missing holiday mood is back as people prepare to bury this forgettable year. Don’t leave your New Year reservations for the last moment, says Ankush Nijhawan, MD of Nijhawan Group and CEO of Travel Boutique Online. The weekend crowds are back in Alibaug, Lonavala, Coorg, Mussoorie, Rishikesh, Shimla, Jaipur — all at drivable distances from major cities. Daniel D’souza, president and country head, leisure, SOTC Travel, sees the pent-up demand stretching well into 2021.

There has been a significant increase in bookings for the next few months, he says. Kapil Chopra, CEO of The Postcard hotels says his hotels are fully booked for the next few weeks. A survey by travel portal Goibibo shows 35% of the respondents intend to travel before the year is out. Rajesh Magow, co-founder and group CEO of MakeMyTrip Limited that includes MakeMyTrip, Goibibo, and red-Bus, says people are fi nding new ways to fulfill their travel aspirations, especially when they are assured of safe travel choices.

“Travellers are looking to unwind and welcome the New Year in high spirits. We are witnessing a steady rise in bookings,” says Anil Chadha, COO, ITC Hotels, adding that there is a rush for their Manesar, Goa, Agra, Jaipur and Mussoorie properties. Nipun Vig, VP operations of Sarovar Hotels and Resorts, also says their leisure properties in Bhimtal, Dehradun, Goa, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Lonavala, Mandawa, Palampur, Mashobra and Thekkady have seen 100% occupancy over the past few weekends, and there is a clear preference for drivable destinations. Jodhpur and Jaisalmer are sold out with bookings from Gujarat while the Bhimtal property has most of its bookings from Lucknow and Kanpur. For Kerrie Hannaford, vice president commercial, Accor India South Asia, the spurt in weekend travel, staycations and drive cations are “green shoots” for the industry. Even without business travel, city hotels are doing well again, says Chris Franzen, area VP, West India, Hyatt Hotels.

“People are seeming to enjoy the idea of staycation and embracing it even in their own cities.” Hotel chains ITC, Leela, Taj, Oberoi and Accor are planning grand year-end celebrations. IHG hotels are offering attractive deals on the stay; Oberoi Mumbai and Delhi hotels are advertising staycation packages for Christmas and New Year, while ITC hotels are running a 31-day celebration showcasing the best of their food and beverage offerings. It’s not only road trips but also private flying that is seeing heightened interest. People are tired of being holed up at home, says Santosh Sharma, co-founder and CEO, Foresee Aviation, and founder of Bookmyjet. “We are seeing a lot of curiosity regarding flying private. During the last few months and the upcoming season, 90% of flyers are first-time users,” he says. Besides domestic destinations, Maldives and Dubai are also attracting Indian travelers. Priyanka Nijhawan, director of, Dubai Tourism India representative office, says this time people are flying to Dubai to stay longer, with many opting to work from there. Ankush Nijhawan sees another positive sign in people turning to travel agents for bookings. When lockdowns were announced suddenly, people didn’t know where to go for rescheduling bookings and cancellations. Thanks to that uncertainty, “people have started approaching agencies again for their travel bookings to have someone to talk to or rely on in case of an emergency,” he says.

News Courtesy: ET