As the depreciating rupee has made outbound travel costlier, recent floods in Uttarakhand and the unrest in Kashmir have affected certain pockets for domestic travel. To offset this, tour operators and travel agents are now focusing on the south.
According to industry estimates, bookings for South Indian destinations have gone up by nearly 40 per cent in the past two months on a year-on-year basis as per a report in Business Line.
Mohit Gupta, Chief Business Officer, Holidays, MakeMyTrip, said, “South India is becoming an increasingly popular destination among domestic travellers. Our booking numbers are growing at an average of 40-50 per cent y-o-y for various South Indian destinations. Compared to last year, the peak travel season bookings have increased by 120 per cent this year. Apart from holiday packages, we have also seen the South Indian religious tour packages gaining popularity, more so in the light of the recent natural calamity in Uttarakhand.”
Bookings for destinations such as Madurai, Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari, Tirupati and Kanchipuram are picking up, according to tour operators. Online travel portal MakeMyTrip expects 50 per cent growth for pilgrimage tour bookings for its South Indian destinations in the coming months.
Interestingly, the increase in tourist traffic to the south is not restricted to domestic travellers alone. “Even inbound tourists are opting for southern States. We have witnessed a rise of about 30-35 per cent in bookings for south Indian States,” said Vikram Malhi, GM, South and South-east Asia, Expedia.
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