Space came at a premium at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra on Sunday, the last day of a travel fair.
Anandabazar Patrika Tourist Spot 2024, which began on Friday, lived up to its billing of a one-stop solution for all travel queries to destinations in India and abroad.
The venue was packed for most of Sunday. More than 70 stalls put up by travel operators kept buzzing with visitors.
Many of them were looking for their first international trip after the Covid pandemic.
Malasri Banerjee, 65, was one of them. “Our last international tour was Australia, in 2019. This year, we are looking forward to visiting Vietnam in October,” said the retired school teacher.
“My husband and I love to travel. Our children now live abroad. We keep travelling as we love to explore new places,” said the Jodhpur Park resident.
While many visitors came for enquiries, some booked trips at the venue. Like Dipak Kumar Sen, 80, a resident of Kaikhali, who booked a 14-day trip to Arunachal Pradesh in September.
“We have almost covered the country. Last year, we visited Gujarat. But the Northeast is yet unexplored,” said the retired doctor, who was accompanied by wife Chhanda.
The three-day fest at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra is the 12th edition of the event. Arunachal, Bihar and Tripura are the partner states this year.
Sonali Saha, 34, came from Hooghly. Her daughter is in Class VI and any trip usually happens when the school is in recess.
“We are looking forward to visiting south India this year, during the Puja or the winter vacation. Kerala and Tamil Nadu are on our wish list,” said Saha.
Anjan Saha, director of Grasshopper Holiday, one of the operators at the fest, said the footfall was more than expected.
“We have had a number of advance bookings, most of them for October,” he said.
Jibananda Sur, senior manager of Club7 Holidays, said: “The pandemic hit us very hard. But this year, we have had the most bookings since 2019. International trips are also in huge demand, like pre-Covid times. Most of our international bookings in October-November are for Europe.”
