Even before the winter vacations have arrived, people are already planning their next holiday to some exotic destinations. PT tells you about the hot spots this season
MANY in our city just love the idea of packing their bags and taking off for some­where else. Even before they can unpack their bags after the Diwali vacation, they are getting ready to go on that year-end va­cation to some of the exotic locations in the world. And, they are not just going on a holiday to cool their heels, but to in dulge in some serious shop­ping too. Sandip Singh, vice-president, marketing, of a travel agency, informs, "This year, the bookings are full, and the response we are getting is huge." The most preferred in­ternational destinations are Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Dubai, Australia, Egypt, Mauritius, European countries, Kenya, and also South Africa.
Abhishek Pawar, an upcom­ing model and actor who is go­ing to Sri Lanka and Dubai only to shop, says, "Many of them are unaware, but Sri Lanka is emerging as the sec­ond most-wanted spot for shopping. The markets there are a lot cheaper." He is also planning to go to Dubai especially for the Dubai Shopping Festival. "I got to know from my travel agent about the shopping festival there, and I am now looking forward to To encourage tourists to go on that long-cherished holiday, many travel agencies have come up with special packages for both domestic and interna­tional tourists. They include surprise packages to unusual destinations, thematic pack­ages and travel gift certifi­cates. "There are special pack­ages for Turkey, China, Italy and Australia. Families are getting ready to make the most of their holidays in the com­ing month," says Javed Akhtar, COO of a travel agency.

And, the tourists' efforts seem to be yielding the desired results. Spurred by the budget offers, Rakesh Sinha, a soft­ware engineer, is planning to go on a 15-day holiday to Phuket next month with his wife who is a corporate com­munications manager. "All these years we only saw Goa and Kashmir, but when we came to know about the budg­et packages, we've decided to go to Thailand, which has been our dream. Phuket and Bangkok I heard have cheap markets to shop," he says.

So, where are you going to celebrate your New Year?

NOZIA SAYYED

Source: The Times of India, Edition: Pune, Supplement: Pune Times