Pune sizzles at 40°C, vacationers book for cool destinations
With mercury touching 40°C, Punekars have started booking for summer vacations at cold destinations such as Everest base camp, Kashmir, Manali and the north-east
Pune: With temperatures touching 40 degrees Celsius, Punekars have started booking for summer vacations at cold places such as Everest base camp, Kashmir, Manali and the north-east. Among international destinations, major European countries along with Nepal, Bhutan, Singapore and Thailand are more in demand.
Ashwin Kardekar, director, My Travelogue Holidays Pvt Ltd, said, “Many people are preferring Bhutan and Everest base camp. We opened bookings for Everest base camp and they were full in two weeks. Nepal, Singapore and Thailand are the international destinations in which people are showing more interest.”
The Indian government had announced the RT-PCR test as mandatory for countries such as Japan, Singapore and Thailand however it was rescinded on February 9 due to which more people are now planning to travel to Singapore and Thailand. Flights to Singapore and Thailand have also become expensive while hotel rates at most places have shot up by 25% to 40% on an average.
“Hotels have become very expensive. Hotel rooms that were available for ₹3,500 per day now cost ₹5,000 per day. In the event any tourist city is in a sold-out position, hotels that were available for ₹5,000 to ₹6,000 per day are now available for ₹10,000 to ₹12,000 per day. It generally happens when supply is less than demand,” Kardekar said. Most hotels have now moved from fixed to dynamic rates. If hotels remain fully occupied for the first 25 days, they charge whatsoever rates for the last five days, no matter if they remain empty.
Akhilesh Joshi from Girikand Travels said, “There is solid demand for summer vacation bookings. Kashmir, the north-east – everywhere, there is good response. Now there are no Covid-19 restrictions and bookings are back to pre-Covid days. The requirement for European locations is also high. In India, Manali is an all-time favourite and many people prefer to spend time there in summer.
Manisha Panchal, an IT professional, said, “I am planning a trip to Manali with my family members in April. Many hotels in Manali are already booked. I finally managed to book a decent hotel for my family.”
Closer home, Aditya Kudle, a tourist guide from Mahabaleshwar, said, “We make good money on weekends throughout the 12 months however in the summer season, we are expecting good returns on weekdays as well.”