Summer Holiday Bookings: Gujaratis Embrace Costlier Summer Packages to Explore New Destinations | Ahmedabad News

Ahmedabad: Summer holiday bookings are once again reflecting footloose Gujaratis’ spirit to explore new destinations and break away from the everyday rigmarole. Bookings remain significantly high even though summer packages this time are costlier compared to 2023.According to data from the Gujarat chapter of Travel Agents’ Association of India (TAAI), tour packages have become costlier by about 18% across destinations, with the cost rise ranging from 11% to 27.3%. Yet bookings so far have registered an increase of at least 25%, according to travel company owners.Explaining the trend, Virendra Shah, chairman, TAAI Gujarat chapter said, “Costs for holidays have certainly gone up due to an increase in airfares as well as hotel tariffs and to some extent, a marginal rise in exchange rates of the US dollar and the Euro. However, these are no deterrents for travellers.”This time around, popular destinations include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Dubai and Europe.“Inquiries and conversions for summer holidays are certainly good this time around. People who have higher spending capacity also tend to seek holidays to Australia and New Zealand or luxury packages for Europe. Travelling during this time of the year has become a norm and people tend to dedicate budgets,” Shah further added.Industry players suggest that apart from families and middle-aged persons, there is an increasing trend of youngsters taking foreign trips and domestic travel.“In fact, youngsters are more open to experimenting and discovering new places. Conventionally, Gujarati tourists were known for seeking pure vegetarian, Jain or Gujarati food even while they holidayed abroad. The younger generation, however, is very different and is seeking out new and enriching experiences by exploring local cuisines and cultures. Therefore, our offerings have also changed in a big way,” said Manish Sharma, chairman, Tourism Development Society – Gujarat. Destinations such as Eastern Europe, Brazil, the Caribbean are popular among younger travellers.Seasoned travellers who have visited Europe and the US many times are now choosing experiential tours, according to travel company owners.There is good demand for Alaska Cruise, Caribbean cruises and Canadian Rockies, Mediterranean cruise, France and Ibiza, Adriatic Sea and Greece, among high-net-worth individuals, they add.

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