Indians look east for bargain holidays

Thursday, 17 October 2002, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: Indians are on the move, lured by attractive vacation packages at foreign destinations nearer home that in many cases are cheaper than domestic holidays. On an average, 4.5 million Indians travel overseas annually. This year the number is likely to go up with attractive packages being offered by some countries in the Southeast Asian region, says Subhash Goyal, chairman of STIC Travels. "With foreign airlines being offered tax-free aviation turbine fuel at rates 20-30 percent cheaper than what is offered to domestic airlines, Indians can now fly overseas at a lower rate than within the country," Goyal, who is also chairman of the travel committee of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), told IANS. Countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore have also lowered their hotel tariffs and taxes, making a four-day holiday in these nations cheaper than in many places within India. While Nepal is offering packages for as low as 7,777, including airfare and stay in a three-star hotel on a twin sharing basis, five-star hotel packages are also available for 9,999 to 20,000 in Singapore, Bangkok, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Goyal said. "This is because after reduced taxes, hotel rooms are being offered at $30-50 per night," he said. Travel promos like Sri Lanka's 'fly one and get one free' that started in summer have seen a 30 percent increase in Indians travelling to Southeast Asia. Studies by Malaysia, the UAE, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Nepal have revealed that Indians tourists are the biggest spenders, while in Britain and Switzerland they figure among the top three. Indians taking package tours annually number over 50,000. Normally October to March is the season that sees most inbound travellers. This is also the time when most non-resident Indians visit their families here during the marriage and festival season. But with fewer overseas travellers arriving this year, a lot of airlines are offering discounted tickets to fill up seats. This too has led to better packages being offered to outbound travellers, say travel agents. "This year we are seeing a 100 percent increase in numbers travelling to Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia and double the normal traffic during winter months," said Vikas Khanduri, regional manager of Cox & Kings (India) Ltd. "There seems to be an increased awareness among Indians about the value for money the moment we talk about visiting any of the neighbouring countries," said Khanduri. With war clouds hovering over Iraq, interest in the U.S. and Europe seems to have paled among Indians in comparison with Southeast Asia. Australia and New Zealand are the other countries receiving more vacationers from India, say tour operators. "There has been a lot of pent up demand since last year when, post-September 11, several companies cut down incentive trips. Business seems to be moving again with companies offering more such trips now," said Bejan Dinshaw, manager of leisure travel at the Travel Corporation of India (TCI). According to Dinshaw, Southeast Asia seems to have caught Indians' fancy with short cruises and leisure holidays to Thailand and Singapore in great demand. Thailand's decision to offer visas on arrival has added to its allure, apart from the arrangements for sightseeing and economical hotel rates, say tour operators. "The packages being offered by the Southeast Asian destinations have really caught on. Australia and New Zealand are also seeing more traffic. We are very much on target for our outbound travel this year," said Dinshaw.
Source: IANS