After a gap of two years, tourists are now back on the road with more enthusiasm than before.
Experts in the tourism sector say ‘revenge tourism’ is real and due to the surge in the number of tourists, some destinations in the country have been experiencing a supply crunch. The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) operated with 85% occupancy in the month of March and so far, with 75% occupancy in April.
With the state government enhancing its focus on religious tourism, the tourism department has reported gaining more traction in the sector of temple tourism.
According to them, Nanjangud, Malemahadeshwara Hills and the temples in Dakshina Kannada and Chikkamagaluru districts, such as Dharmasthala, Horanadu and Sringeri, have been most in demand amongst the tourists.
Tirupati is another destination outside the state which is preferred most by tourists, while the demand for Chardham Yatra is also higher than ever, according to tour operators.
To battle the sweltering heat, tourists, especially families, are preferring hill stations, national parks and coastal resorts for their summer vacations.
“Over 60% of our travellers prefer to go to national parks and hilly places. Coastal tourism is also faring well. Karwar is preferred the most in the belt,” said R Venkateshwar Kumar, director of tourism department.
Corporate homestays, Jungle Lodge Resorts (JLR) and even private hotels at most destinations are seeing advanced booking of two months and are even overbooked, experts said.
The tourism department has also observed that travellers now prefer their own private transportation over public transport like buses and trains due to the fear of Covid-19.
Quick, weekend getaways are also trending as places like Nandi Hills, Kabini backwaters and Kodagu are flooded with tourists in the past few weekends.
Surge in int’l travel
Private tour operators are seeing an uptick in the number of tourists preferring international travel from the state.
“With our customers being unable to travel for over two years, their appetite for travel is at an all-time high and we are witnessing interest in longer stays and deeper spends,” said Rajeev Kale, president and country head, Holidays, MICE, Visa-Thomas Cook (India) Limited.
He said while the queries about western Europe had seen a three-fold growth, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are seeing a 50% growth and Turkey and Egypt a 40% growth in demand when compared to the same period last year.
“Short-haul destinations, in particular, are currently seeing the maximum uplift with Thailand up by two times week on week, followed by Singapore and Indonesia. Also, island destinations like Maldives (30%) and Mauritius (35%) are seeing high demand.”
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