Independence Day long weekend: Mumbaiites take a break, plan short trips

Independence Day is on Tuesday, but those working for five days a week have converted it into a small holiday starting Saturday by taking Monday off

Travel portals recorded a 15% rise in flight bookings for this weekend, thanks to the 4-day break leading to Independence Day, said officials.

Travel portals recorded a 15% rise in flight bookings for this weekend, thanks to the 4-day break leading to Independence Day, said officials. (File for representation)

Independence Day is on Tuesday, but those working for five days a week have converted it into a small holiday starting Saturday by taking Monday off.

Yatra.com said they witnessed a two-fold surge in bookings for this weekend this year, compared to the corresponding period last year. Sharat Dhall, COO (B2C) of Yatra.com, said, “Over the past few years, there has been a rise in the number of people taking frequent breaks on long weekends to get respite from their monotonous schedule.”

Travellers prefer domestic destinations such as Goa, Mahabaleshwar, Ooty, Coorg, Shillong, Meghalaya, Jaipur, Shimla, Ladakh, along with international destinations such as Dubai, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka that can be reached easily.

Ezeego1.com witnessed a 20% rise in bookings for short-haul destinations, compared to the same period last year. Spokesperson of Cox & Kings said that they have seen a growth of 15%-20% in domestic and international bookings for this weekend.

Karan Anand, head of relationships, Cox & Kings, said, “Most travellers don’t consider monsoon as an off season. Longer weekends this monsoon and season discounts have led to the rise.”

Meanwhile, Jet Airways on Thursday announced a special six-day sale – 30% discount on economy fares and 20% on premium – starting Friday. The offer will be valid on both on one-way tickets and return tickets of domestic flights from September 5 and September 15 for international flights