India's travel sector anticipates a surge this Independence Day. Hotel bookings and room rates are expected to increase. Make My Trip highlights Goa, Udaipur, and Jaipur as the top local places. Pattaya, Bali, and Bangkok lead international choices.
Indian Hotels Company Limited and Hotel Association of India foresee strong demand. Royal Orchid Hotels Ltd anticipates higher average room rates.
Hotel occupancy rates and room tariffs are set to rise this Independence Day long weekend as travellers across India head to various destinations, major industry players said. Rajesh Mattha Gow, Co-founder and Group CEO of MakeMyTrip, told news sources that Independence Day has emerged as a key travel occasion over the years.
“This year too, the search and booking trends point to strong intent to travel over the Independence Day weekend. With Independence Day on a Friday, travel demand appears to be peaking two days earlier on Wednesday, giving early travellers a five-day window,” he shared.
According to him, the top trending domestic destinations are Goa, Udaipur, Puri, Lonavala, Varanasi, Coorg, Mahabaleshwar, Ooty and Pondicherry. In contrast, the leading international destinations are Pattaya, Bali, Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai, Phuket, Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Zurich and London.
Puneet Chhatwal, MD and CEO of Indian Hotels Company Limited, the country’s most prominent hospitality firm, which owns the Taj brand, said, “The long weekend is looking perfect. We have a lot of resort destinations, so we are very pleased to see all the buoyancy come back.”
KB Kachru, President, Hotel Association of India and Chairman South Asia Radisson Hotel Group, said this year, 15 August falls on a Friday, offering an ideal opportunity for staycations and short holidays. HAI member hotels are well prepared to accommodate the surge, with many already witnessing a rise in bookings.
Reports and trends indicate a rise in both occupancy and room rate over the long Independence Day weekend. Some properties are witnessing up to a 40 per cent surge in bookings compared to last year, with ADRs expected to be 10-15 per cent higher year on year,” Kachru said.
Chander K Baljee, CMD at Royal Orchid Hotels Ltd, said, “We are seeing steady interest for the extended Independence Day weekend from August 14 to 17. With the booking momentum yet to thoroughly pick up, we anticipate strong last-minute demand, which is quite typical for long weekends in the domestic market. Compared to the same period last year, we are observing an approximate increase of INR 1280 in rates. We expect the Average Room Rate to close around INR 6450, which is a 7-8 per cent increase over last year's ARR of INR 6,000 on the retail segment, he added.
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