Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur) - Hindustan Times (Jaipur) - City
Long Republic Day weekend attracts tourists
Every travel lover who couldn’t accomplish #travelgoals in 2020 is excited to make the best of the 15 long weekends that 2021 has to offer. For the upcoming Republic Dayweekend, a large number of people are headed to quaint destinations to relax. Vipul Prakash, chief operating officer of a leading travel firm, says, “Travel enthusiasts are looking to pause and unwind in the hills of Himachal or Uttarakhand, or beaches of Goa and Puducherry. Bookings indicates they’re already searching, planning and booking staycations for long weekends in 2021. We are noticing a 30% increase in bookings for the upcoming Republic Day long weekend, in comparison to the January 1 weekend. As travel sentiment revives, we hope to see more takers in the coming months.” Devendra Parulekar, founder of a chain of private vacation homes, says, “Despite no discounts, we’re sold out for the long weekend.” Aman Upadhaya, owner of a hotel in Shimla, says, “People are willing to spend now, aur ab darr bhi kam ho gaya hai, vaccine ke aane se.” While the travel industry expects 2021 to be better than 2020, so are travellers. Namit Khanna from Delhi, says, “The long weekend I’ve been waiting for is almost here. My bike is all set and I just can’t wait for my first solo trip of 2021. This time around I plan to stay in old Manali.” Manjhi Shahpurkar from Mumbai will drive to South Goa on January 22. She says, “It’s like Shimla for us, without snowfall. I love spending time near water. I like to sit alone, meditate and feel that oneness within. My mom will join me from Pune and we will spend some quality time together, after so long.”