Domestic India travel awaits 'Shatabdi','Bollywood' escapes

Established as go-to guidebooks for travellers across the world, Lonely Planet is now digging deep into the India travel market by launching a new series of guides that offer domestic travellers tips for short escapes within the country.
The "Short Escape" series is aimed at city dwellers in Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai who are looking for a quick break from the city, was launched here at Kingdom of Dreams last evening.
"In the present corporate scenario, working professionals in India want to maximise their leisure time. With this in mind Lonely Planet designed the travel guides to enable travellers to make most of their time by exploring destinations close to their city," says Sesh Seshadri, general manager, Lonely Planet India.

Also on the agenda are a set of books that can take the cinema loving tourist to places inside the coutnry that have a Bollywood connection.
"We have also planned, 'Shatabdi Escapes' which will include the destinations that fall on the route covered by Shatabdi Express. Yet another 'Bollywood Escape' series will focus on places which are known for some bollywood connection, be it a shooting spot for any movie or something other," says Seshadri.
Last year the Lonely Planet had brought out a series of specifically designed guidebooks to enable curious Indian travellers to experience the world via outbound travel.

The domestic guides aim at exploring the potential in the Indian domestic tourism market.

According to the latest data by the Ministry of Tourism, domestic tourism grew at a rate of 13.8 per cent in 2011, with the number of travellers increasing to 851 million from 748 million in 2010.
"The domestic travel market is currently thriving. Our own quantitative and qualitative market research has equipped us to create up-to-date, relevant and inspirational content for domestic travellers," Seshadri told PTI.
Priced at Rs 395 each guide features 40-45 destinations divided by themes such as hills, heritage, wildlife and resorts. The travel guides outline the best possible routes from the city to the destination, along with distances and fares.

The content also includes travel tips and information on iconic sights, family activities, shopping, restaurants and local food recommendations.