MUMBAI, 3 August 2022: With India’s Raksha Bandhan* festival falling on Thursday and Friday, 11 and 12 August, followed by Independence Day on Monday, the second week of August presents Indian travellers with an extended five-day window to book a holiday getaway.
As Raksha Bandhan is a school holiday and Independence Day a bank holiday, families, young professionals and couples are booking trips, according to Thomas Cook India and its group company, SOTC Travel, latest travel news updates.
Thomas Cook and SOTC’s consumer data reveals growing demand for short holidays (mini-cations), with 69% of respondents displaying a keen interest in booking holidays for the Raksha Bandhan-Independence Day extended weekend. Over 66% of the respondents indicated a preference for domestic locales, while 34% were open to short-haul international options.
To tap into the extended weekend demand, Thomas Cook India and SOTC have launched holiday packages to favourite Indian locales (Kashmir, Leh-Ladakh, Kerala, Goa and Andaman) and closer-to-home and easy visa destinations like Dubai, Abu Dhabi; island destinations like Maldives and Mauritius and South East Asia’s Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Special offers have been announced to capitalise on the cruise opportunity as well. Cruise options for the extended weekend include Genting Dream (two nights Singapore-Malaysia on 10 August); Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Spectrum of the Seas (three-night cruise from Singapore on 11 August), or Cordelia Cruises from Chennai to Chennai or Vizag to Chennai via Puducherry.
Thomas Cook and SOTC’s extended weekend holiday breaks include a range of ready-to-book travel experiences: outdoor and adventure, including safaris, biking, hiking/trekking, camping, water rafting and paragliding; ‘drivecations’ to nearby locales and spa-wellness getaways.
The companies also offer air-inclusive tours with Vistara Getaways, Air Arabia Holidays and Emirates Holidays.
Thomas Cook (India) Limited President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa Rajeev Kale said: “With both Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day falling on weekdays, customers are offered a great opportunity of an extended weekend getaway… Customers can select from our array of options: safari-outdoor-adventure, wellness getaways and cruises.”
SOTC Travel president & country head – Holidays Daniel D’souza added:
“For this upcoming long weekend, we see a 69% increase in travel searches and interest. Our long weekend getaways include unique experiences at attractive prices for a range of favourite destinations.”
*Raksha Bandhan is a regional Hindu religious festival celebrated in north and west India, Nepal, and parts of Pakistan.
About Thomas Cook (India) Limited
Set up in 1881, Thomas Cook (India) Limited (TCIL) is the leading omnichannel travel company in the country, offering a broad spectrum of services, including foreign exchange, corporate travel and leisure travel. It operates leading B2C and B2B brands, including Thomas Cook, SOTC, TCI, SITA, Asian Trails, Allied T Pro, Australian Tours Management, Desert Adventures, Luxe Asia, Travel Circle International Limited (TCI), Sterling Holiday Resorts Limited, Distant Frontiers, TC Tours, Digiphoto Entertainment Imaging (DEI), Go Vacation, Private Safaris East & South Africa.
The Thomas Cook India Group spans 25 countries across five continents.
