I-Day long weekend: Goa, Udaipur hot tourist destinations, hotel prices surge

New Delhi: 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 Magow, Co-founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip told PTI, 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 (13 August), giving early travellers a five-day window," he shared.

According to him, the top trending domestic destinations are Goa, Udaipur, Jaipur, Puri, Lonavala, Varanasi, Coorg, Mahabaleshwar, Ooty and Pondicherry, while 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 (IHCL), the country's biggest hospitality firm, which owns the Taj brand, said, "The long weekend is looking very good. We have a lot of resort destinations, so we are very pleased to see all the buoyancy come back".

K B Kachru, President, Hotel Association of India (HAI) 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 advance bookings.

"Reports and trends indicate a rise in both occupancy and room rates 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 (ROHL), said, "We are seeing steady interest for the extended Independence Day weekend from August 14 to 17. While the booking momentum is yet to fully 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're observing an approximate increase of Rs 1,280 in rates. We expect the Average Room Rate (ARR) to close around Rs 6,450, which is a 7-8 per cent increase over last year's ARR of Rs 6,000 on the retail segment," he added.