Monsoon tourism making a splash

The monsoon, which is traditionally seen as an off-season in the tourism industry, has taken off very well this year.

Monsoon tourism, as it is known, has performed beyond the expectations of tour operators, garnering a 50 per cent increase in both in-bound and out-bound traffic. Last year, the industry saw an increase of only 15-20 per cent in monsoon tourism.

While Goa and Kerala remain the top domestic destinations, West Asia is still a favourite with travellers heading for international destinations. Over the years, the number of international tourists visiting India during the monsoon, especially from the Gulf countries, has almost doubled.

The Indian monsoon during June-September coincides with the summer vacations in the Gulf countries. Thus one can witness a steep increase in tourist inflow this monsoon," a Thomas Cook official said.

Besides, there has been an increase in travel by the double-income-no-kids (Dink) group. These people believe in beating the rush and getting a truly relaxing holiday. "As they do not have kids, they are not bound by the school holiday cycle and during this time they get quality holidays," adds the Thomas Cook official.

Another trend visible this monsoon is the charters coming from Spain to Jaipur. SOTC Holidays has witnessed an increase of 30 per cent in initial bookings of its monsoon packages. While the season is still on, the travel major expects the bookings to go up further. "The bookings might go up to what we call a high season, where people are ready to pay extra to go on a holiday," said Frederick Divecha, senior vice-president, marketing, SOTC.

While Kerala, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim and Meghalaya have already started cashing in on monsoon tourism by starting special monsoon packages, Mahrashtra Tourism Development Corporation, too, has had its cash registers ringing with tourists making a beeline for Lonavla, Khandala, Malshej Ghat and Karla.

Tour operators see a surge in the number of bookings, with the marriage season also on in many parts of the country.

"With the marriage season on, a lot of travellers have done their holiday bookings for the second week of August. The destinations these newly-weds are looking at are South Africa and Mauritius for the affluent category and the Far East for the economy category," said the Thomas Cook official.

On an average, based on the destination, the mode of travel and the accommodation chosen, a domestic holiday package would cost anywhere between Rs 12,000 and Rs 20,000 per head and an international holiday package would cost anywhere between Rs 20,000 and Rs 35,000 per head.

---

MONSOON MAGIC

Goa and Kerala remain the top domestic destinations

The Gulf countries are the favourite international destination

International tourists visiting India have almost doubled

There are charters coming from Spain to Jaipur