France, Iceland, Bali: 2018 has 16 long weekends, here’s where you can spend them

Going by last year’s trends, the travel service said international destinations that see a surge in popularity over long weekends include Dubai, Thailand and Bali

With 16 long weekends in 2018, travel portal managers said Indians have a good scope to plan trips and explore new destinations. While Indians usually prefer short international and domestic destinations over long weekends, portals said the number of long weekends will ensure that travelers can plan visits to lesser-known destinations.

France remains a popular tourist destination. (HT File)

Popular destinations for 2018 include Japan, South America, Greece, Italy, South Korea. “With the 2018 Winter Olympics approaching, the spotlight is on South Korea. East Asia will likely see an incursion of visitors to Seoul. Other top global destinations include Italy, South Africa, France, Iceland and Australia, with Japan emerging as an untraditional multigenerational family travel destination,” said Daniel D’souza, head sales, India and NRI markets, SOTC Travel.

Going by last year’s trends, the travel service said international destinations that see a surge in popularity over long weekends include Dubai, Thailand and Bali. Popular domestic holiday spots will be Goa, Andaman, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. “Indian tourists tend to book holidays at least 30 days or even weeks in advance. The maximum bookings were made by Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai residents,” D’souza added.

Karan Anand, head relationships, Cox and Kings said travelers should choose a couple of destinations they would like to visit — either those in the country or short-haul international destinations. “If you plan to fly, then look out for airline deals. The long weekend starting from January 26 is a good example of when domestic airlines introduce offers. Keeping your budget in mind, you can avail of such offers,” said Anand.

From November 15 to December 15, MakeMyTrip surveyed people who had travelled in the past six months, finding that those aged between 25 and 30 had travelled he most. According to the survey, 49% of Indians travelled with friends or family to places such as Thailand, UAE and Singapore. Around 18% travelled to explore new destinations, 16% for went on romantic trips, 7% travelled for their honeymoon, 6% went on religious trips and 5% travelled for adventure.