Travel firms gear up for India’s festive season

MUMBAI, 22 August 2022: As India’s key religious festivals get underway during late August and September, Thomas Cook and SOTC Travel data monitor a boost in holiday bookings.

Holidays linked to Hindu festivals lasting up to 10 days, such as  Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri/Durga Puja-Dusshera, followed by Diwali (October and November) fuel holiday bookings. In addition, schools are closed for their mid-term break further boosts demand for family travel.

SOTC Travel president & country head Holidays Daniel D’Souza noted: “India’s festive season presents the perfect opportunity to travel, especially for families with schools closing for their mid-term break and working professionals taking time off and travelling back to their hometowns to celebrate with their families.

To capitalise on the high demand during this peak festive period, Thomas Cook (India) Limited and its group company, SOTC Travel, have launched an extensive range of holidays across International and domestic destinations – with a range of special offers and deals.

Destinations in line to benefit

Destinations leading demand include short haul/easy visa destinations like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Maldives, Mauritius; also Nepal and Bhutan in the Indian subcontinent.

The most preferred long and mid-haul destinations are the USA (for visa-holding customers), Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Europe, UK. The domestic favourites include Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, Rajasthan, Kerala and Goa.

Key segments driving demand for the festive season include:

•      Multi-generational families/couples: 78% looking for quality bonding time together

•      India’s migrant working professional segment: 66% keen to travel home and celebrate with their families

•      Millennials: 71% are open to a mini-cation with their group of friends or a solo break

Indians are quintessential value seekers, and hence to accelerate bookings, the companies have announced an array of special deals like Buy One Get One Free, Early Bird Discounts, and Travel Now Pay Later.

Cruise holidays represent a great value proposition: an all-inclusive holiday packed with entertainment/activities across age groups, diversity of dining experiences and sailing to multiple locations with on-shore sightseeing tours – without the hassle of check-in/check-out, transfers, etc. With cruises witnessing a surge in demand, Thomas Cook and SOTC are offering value deals on cruise holidays like children under 18 years of age travel free on Costa Cruise’s Dubai sailings, discounted prices on select Royal Caribbean and NCL (Norwegian Cruise Lines) Cruises for Europe.

India’s couples and solo travellers (30 to 45 yrs) are displaying a strong preference for spiritual tours that include meditation, yoga, and wellness programs like the Yoga Centre/Ashram in Coimbatore, Dharamshala, and Rishikesh; Panchakarma program at Kumarakom, etc.

Thomas Cook and SOTC’s festive range of offers also extend to its ready-to-book and personalised experiences, including outdoor and adventure activities like safari drives at India’s leading national reserves, biking, hiking/trekking, camping, white water rafting and paragliding.

Thomas Cook (India) Limited president & country head – holidays, MICE, Visa, Rajeev Kale said: “To encourage our customers, we have introduced an extensive range of Festive Holidays across customer favourite destinations packed with unique experiences and special deals for our ready-to-book and personalised itineraries to ensure great value for money. Customers can make the most of our air-inclusive holidays with Vistara Getaways, Air Arabia Holidays and Emirates Holidays.”

SOTC President & Country Head – Holidays Daniel D’Souza said: “India’s festive season presents the perfect opportunity to travel, especially for families with schools closing for their mid-term break and working professionals taking time off and travelling back to their hometowns to celebrate with their families.