Long weekend: Delhiites spending in lakhs to make the most of their extended break

When Delhiites go out, they go all out. Experts and travel agents say Dilliwallahs are ready to shell out a bomb to travel to not only local destinations, but also to foreign locales.

There are many ways to celebrate Independence Day, but this year’s long weekend has allowed Delhiites to celebrate the day by opting for international getaways with their families. This weekend, which is followed by Janamashtami (on August 14) and Independence Day (August 15), is allowing people four days off on which they are planning exotic trips. Travel agents in the city say that Dilliwallahs are spending around a lakh, at least, to plan their getaways

People with high budgets are going to places like Europe, Australia and South Africa, spending anywhere between ₹1,00,000 to ₹2,00,00.
- Chetan Gupta

“People with high budgets are going to Europe, Australia and South Africa and are spending between ₹1,00,000 and ₹2,00,000. Others are planning sojourns to Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia and Bali by spending around ₹80,000,” says Chetan Gupta of RG Destinations.

Families are willing to spend as much as ₹50,000 per person.
- Arpita Sengupta

The same thought is echoed by Arpita Sengupta, at holiday planners, Travel Triangle. “Couples are willing to spend as much as ₹1.5 lakh for a short holiday abroad. We have received many queries for the long weekend dates, and families are willing to spend as much as ₹ 50,000 per person,” she says. Reshmi Roy, at Skyscanner has a similar tale to tell, explaining that flights from Delhi to places like Singapore and Bangkok cost anywhere around ₹ 40,000 to ₹46,000 one way.

Manmeet Ahluwalia of Expedia India, believes that the reason behind this trend is that people nowadays prefer short trips than just a day out. “Indians like to plan short vacations. Earlier the bookings would close one or two weeks prior to the holiday season but now bookings are done more than a month in advance as people have started to planning ahead of time. This year, we’ve seen a growth of 45% in experiential travellers,” he says.

Shweta Anand, a marketing professional, who has planned her vacay for this weekend, says, “My partner and I have planned a trip to Goa. We’re estimating our expenses to go up to `80,000. We didn’t want to pass the chance of enjoying a four-day-long holiday, even the cost is on the higher side.”