The upward curve of COVID notwithstanding, tourism operators in Bengal are expecting a Puja boom, though they also agree that travellers seem to be putting on their travel shoes throughout the year after the pandemic.
While post-COVID tourism is experiencing several changes and trends, travel agencies in the city said they are prepared for it better than ever.
Where people are going
Enquiries and bookings for Europe tour packages have seen a 70 per cent surge in the last two months compared to the same period last year. Southern European countries are more in demand. Even though obtaining a visa for Italy is hard, people are going for it anyway.
“Suddenly, there is a huge rush. We have recovered almost 80 per cent of the pre-COVID market and the demand is going stronger,” said Vicky Shaw, manager, operations, Citius Holidays. “The Far East and West Asian countries are also in high demand.”
Italy has become a favoured destination for many iStock
Maldives, on the other hand, has taken a dip on the popularity chart, with almost 60 per cent less bookings than last year, because it had kept its international border open during the third wave of COVID and people seem to have had enough of it.
Within the country, Andaman, Goa, Ladakh and Kerala are gaining in popularity, while the demand for North East, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand has taken a beating (almost 15 per cent less than last year) because of the recent natural calamities.
Down and out
Countries like Sri Lanka, Russia and Ukraine are completely out because of their turbulent political situation.
“Because of the war in Ukraine, the economic crisis in Sri Lanka and the COVID situation in China, Hong Kong and Macau, we have lost our contacts there. People are also scared to travel to those regions,” said Bhola Sarkar, a senior manager at White Star Travel.
Many tourists have also decided to just wait and watch. “They are buying refundable tickets and booking hotels at higher prices with refund options,” Sarkar said.
Ticket sales soar
People have already started buying train tickets for Puja travel. Railway ticket sales open 120 days before the date of departure.
“Tickets are getting sold out within a couple of hours of the opening of the selling window. For Darjeeling Mail on October 1, the waiting list has gone past 250, while the average waiting period for trains to Kashmir is above 100,” said Dipankar Manna, chief supervisor of IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation), Kolkata.
Many are also opting for flights, especially to places like Goa and Kerala. “We are experiencing a high demand starting from September 15 onwards. Cheaper tickets are all sold out. We are registering a very strong domestic movement. While the demand for Kolkata tickets from other metro cities is extremely high, there is also a good demand for tickets to Amritsar, Srinagar, Chandigarh, Kerala, Goa and Rajasthan from Kolkata,” an IndiGo Airlines official said.
Foreign tourists return
After a COVID break of two years, foreign tourists are coming back to India. With Durga Puja receiving the World Heritage tag last year, tourism agencies have been expecting more foreign tourists during Puja.
“Compared to 2019, we are expecting at least a 25 per cent increase in the number of foreigners coming for Durga Puja. The primary reason is the UNESCO tag and also because two years have been lost to COVID. Hotels have also started getting a good number of enquiries,” said Anil Punjabi, chairman of the eastern region, Travel Agents Federation of India.
Changed priorities
As the COVID count dropped after the first two waves, people started travelling in numbers, having been stuck at home for months. But most people were also cautious about COVID-safety protocol.
“More than the breakfast menu and the location of the property, travellers now are worried about the hygiene standards at the hotel and how crowded it would be. People are expecting COVID cases to go down by Puja and want to travel again. All they need is hygienic and safe travel facilities,” Punjabi said.
Kerala remains a perennial favourite for travellers within the country iStock
There is no ‘season’ anymore
When people resumed travelling after the pandemic, they started doing so almost throughout the year. Earlier, people from Kolkata would usually travel during summer vacation, Diwali and Christmas. But Lalit Shah, the co-owner of a city-based travel agency, said neither travellers nor hoteliers and transport agencies are banking on these three seasons any longer.
“The work-from-home option has also introduced the idea of staycations any time of the year. We have been promoting the ‘travel throughout the year’ concept for a long time, but the pandemic has made it possible,” he said.