I-Day holiday plans trump swine flu

Even as swine flu is threatening the hospitality industry, travellers are taking advantage of the Independence Day holiday to pack their bags for a weekend trip, writes Neeraj Thakur.

Most hotels at travel destinations, domestic and international, are packed for the weekend.

Our bookings are up by 20 per cent compared with last year and all the travel destinations like Jaipur, Manali, Shimla are jam-packed, said Keyur Joshi, COO & Co-Founder, MakeMyTrip.com.

Swine flu has affected more than 1,000 people in India, of which 11 have died. Maharashtra has been the most affected state, with schools and colleges announcing closure for a week as a precaution.

Independence Day is on a Saturday this year, giving a chance to people to plan a weekend trip. Due to the slowdown in the economy, people have been opting for short weekend trips this year, as compared with long trips that were a trend earlier.

There is no threat of swine flu among travellers yet. People had planned their I-Day weekend trip in advance and they are not going to miss that chance. said Vijay Thakur, president, Indian Association of Tour Operators.

Hotel chains are also doing their best to get people out of their homes during the weekend. Taj and WelcomeHeritage are offering discounts in the range of 15-20 per cent on their room rates during the weekend. The Lalit is offering 25 per cent discount on its food & beverages services on I-Day across its hotel restaurants.

Those ready to fly to nearby destinations around India are also getting good deals from  tour operators like SOTC and Stic Travel Group. While a four-night and five-day trip is being offered for Rs 18,999 by Stic Travel Group, SOTC is offering a three-night package to Thailand for Rs 5,990.