Come December and people are seen gearing up to take that much awaited year-end vacation, either to spend some quality time with their families or have a blast on New Year's eve. But what would knock one's socks off is that fact that foreign tours have now turned out to be a lot cheaper than an Indian vacation.

Syed, the branch manager, who handles the international travel department at SOTC Chennai, says, "The trend right now is that more people are travelling abroad for their vacations rather than within the country. South East Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand are among the hottest destina­tions this season. The primary reason for this is the budget followed by the avail­ability of flights and accommodation, the cuisine etc.,"

He adds, "For instance, the off-peak season charges of a '3-days and 2-nights' package for an individual at a decent 3-star hotel in Malaysia would amount up to Rs 25,000 approximately (which is inclusive of airfare, visa charges and taxes). On the other hand, a two-way trip to a North Indian destination would cost one approximately Rs 15,000 for air charge, Rs 12,000 for accommodation and Rs 3,000 for additional expenses, which adds upto Rs 30,000. Compare this with the price you pay for vacationing abroad, which turns out to be a lot cheap­er."

Javed Akkhtar, CEO, Travelport Holidays India (P) Ltd says, "The num­ber of Indian tourists holidaying in Malaysia has gone up by almost 65 per cent, which is primarily because of the simplified 'visa-on-arrival' system and the recent introduction of cheaper flights to Kuala Lumpur."
He adds, "In fact, many Indians prefer vacationing in South East Asia instead of Europe and the U.S. because of the favourable climactic conditions, the cui­sine, affordability of hotels, wider options of entertainment, low cost of fly­ing, easy documentation procedures etc."

Says Kiran Bhandari, Area Director (Southern India, Sri Lanka & Maldives), Singapore Tourism Board, "Tourists looking for short getaways can get a 3 days and 2 nights weekend package to Singapore at no more than Rs. 16,000 to 17,000 per person, inclusive of airfare (taxes included) and accommodation."
In fact, as of now, flight and hotel book­ings have already started peaking. Sachin Bhatia, the co-founder and chief marketing officer of Makemytrip.com says, "Just like last year, we expect a surge in the number of bookings between the 15 and 20 ' of this month, this year too. Some of them will be last minute travellers who just decide on making a trip a week or so before New Year."

A nd it seems that people are only getting more experimental these days in search of the next best international destination. Individuals belonging to the higher income group are now considering vacationing in Australia, which has lined up several big events of the holi­day season.
Says Abhilasha Jain, country manager, Tourism Australia, "New Year eve programmes like the Sydney Fireworks and the Street Party in Adelaide are some of the major attractions that tourists are looking forward to this season."
According to those who are managing the tourism for Down Under, this is a popular tourist destination especially for the whole family. Major cities in the country have lined up a host of events anticipating tourists. Looks like going global will definitely be the most popular way to bring in the new year.

Source: Deccan Chronicle, Edition: Chennai, Supplement: Chennai Chronicle