Anindita Talukdar, a Delhi-based MNC executive, has just heard that her firm is cutting salaries by 5-10%. Will this stop the 31-year-old travel junkie from taking her annual summer vacation? "No way," she says, adding, "The only concession I'll make in the face of tightening money supply is to reduce the duration of my usual 10-day vacation to six days." Before you pass off Talukdar as an aberration, allow us to show you why a holiday in Summer 2009 will not burn a hole in your wallet.
Hot Deals |
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| Interesting packages to look out for. |
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| Classic Hill Top Resort, Chamba |
| Cost: Rs 8,555 per couple |
| Contact: 0-93500-76326 |
| This resort in Tehri Garhwal, 60 km from Rishikesh, is offering a two-night package for a couple that includes accommodation in a deluxe room, yoga sessions, buffet breakfast and dinner, complimentary gaming tokens and a 20% discount on treatments at the in-house spa. However, a 5% tax is applicable on the above mentioned rate. The offer is valid till 10 May. |
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| The Gateway Hotel, Chikmagalur, Karnataka |
| Cost: Rs 13,000 per couple |
| Contact: 0-8262-660660 |
| The two-night summer package offered by one of the most romantic hotels on the serene southern hill station includes accommodation in a standard gardenview room, breakfast and your choice of lunch or dinner, 20% discount on food and beverages and all applicable taxes. Note that a change of dates is not permitted once the payment is received. The offer is valid till 15 June. |
For one, hotels are promising a 10-15% cheaper holiday this year compared with last year. This discount is over and above the recent drop in hotel room tariffs by 15-20% across India. As Neelu Singh, COO, ezeego1.com, a leading online travel facilitator, puts it, "If you give customers a good deal, they will definitely travel." A random comparison of the current summer packages with those in the past couple of years proves this conclusively. Take The Metropolitan Hotel, which is offering a 15% discount on the "best available rate" if booked in advance. This means a deluxe room at Rs 6,500 a night under dynamic pricing will cost Rs 5,525. Compare this with an overnight package of Rs 12,999 in 2007. Even without breakfast and a couple's spa treatment that the latter included, it would be more expensive. Then there is the Hari Niwas hotel in Jammu, which is offering a twonight package with breakfast and one other meal starting at Rs 3,500. In June 2007, it began at Rs 5,500 with breakfast.
Even luxury hotels are not immune to the concession phenomenon. 'You may have to downsize many things this year... but thankfully not your summer holiday', claims the Leela Group. Keeping this in mind, it is offering cheaper getaways starting from Rs 1,950 per person per night at its Kovalam property and from Rs 2,250 per head a night at Goa. This offer is effective from 16 April and is applicable for over two-night stays. Says Biswajit Chakraborty, general manager, The Leela Kempinski, Kovalam: "Since launching these packages 10 days ago, we have had 200 bookings."
Similarly, travel facilitators are aggressively competing for your travel budget. Says Karan Anand, head, relationships and supplier management, Cox & Kings India: "We realise that travellers will down-trade and will not be able to afford beyond a price point, so we have come up with packages accordingly." For the individual traveller, Cox & Kings has a weeklong holiday to Europe for Rs 56,990, with air fare. Just five months ago, it had introduced a more costly sixnight tour to Europe for Rs 1,48,686, where a companion could travel free. The tour operator also has a 50% cash-back scheme on group holidays to select destinations like the US. Similarly, Ezeego1 has just launched a 10% cash-back scheme on Indian railway tickets, bus tickets and car bookings. Anand has one last tip—check out unexplored destinations. "Chances are they will be cheaper," he says.
The summer air fares introduced by most of the airlines make the deal sweeter. Over and above the attractive advance booking fares, which are substantially cheaper than the last-minute bookings, several airlines, such as SpiceJet, IndiGo and Jet Airways, have done away with the fuel surcharge for select sectors. This typically ranges from Rs 1,900 to Rs 2,700. Though the airline turbine fuel prices were hiked recently, industry experts say that the low fare bonanza will last at least till the end of summer.
Foreign airlines too are rolling out the red carpet. Could you imagine taking a round trip from Mumbai to Dubai for under Rs 12,000 in early 2008? That's exactly what Air India is offering now. To put the value proposition in perspective, a round trip from Delhi to Kullu on Kingfisher Red costs Rs 15,777. High-end airlines like the Emirates too are announcing special schemes. It has launched a companion offer, whereby passengers booking an economy return ticket will receive a complimentary return ticket.
Why is the travel industry going all out to woo people? Because the period from April to July is typically lean as far as foreign tourists are concerned. On the other hand, given school holidays, it is usually a peak season for domestic travellers. Since the industry can't bet on easy pickings this time, it has introduced special schemes. The good days, unfortunately, won't last forever. Says Chakraborty: "We are being cautious right now, and hence, our special rates. But we do not foresee a dip in the in-bound winter travellers." When demand is high, prices are bound to skyrocket. So make the most of these unheard of bargains.
Uncommon destinations, the affordable way
The destination: Tirthan, Himachal Pradesh (550 km from Delhi)
Why go there: It's spectacularly scenic, yet free from the madding crowds.
What to do: If you enjoy long walks and treks, there are a lot of hills to climb all around. Anglers can while away their time baiting trout and the lazy bones can catch up on their sleep. Then there is a range of adventure activities to choose from, be it mountain biking, rappelling or river-crossing.
How to get there: The best way is to take the road if you can face a 13-hour drive. Alternatively, you could fly down to Bhuntar, which is 40 km, or a two-hour drive, from the Tirthan valley.
Where to stay: The Himalayan Trout House is the best place here.
Damage to wallet: The per night cost ranges from Rs 2,000-3,400 per couple, including breakfast and one other meal.
