Kerala and Rajasthan follow closely with travelers opting for domestic vacation than travel abroad. Speaking to TOI, yatra.com president Sharat Dhall said, "Our holiday packages to Goa are completely sold out. Goa offers a wide range of accommodation and accessibility through various means that have made it a popular destination through the year. We have seen a 20% increase in bookings despite a rise in airfares."
Senior advisor for the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) Rajinder Rai said, "Indians follow the mantra 'have money, will spend.' Bookings are filling up fast despite the fact that people have to spend far more than last year."
The holiday destination has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. Not only has it gained infamy because of the allegations of widespread drug cartels working in the area but there were serious law and order problems in November after a Nigerian youth was killed. Police action leading to arrest of over 70 Nigerian youths, arson and road blocks hit the sleepy beach destination. If that were not enough, Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal faced sexual assault charges by a junior colleague during the THiNK fest held in Goa.
One of the recent catalysts — for the popularity of the destination — has been the Sunburn festival says Expedia general manager for south and south-east Asia, Vikram Malhi. "Every year we have seen a growing demand for hotel bookings in Goa for the period of the festival wherein consumers prefer attending the festival and then staying back to celebrate the new years before heading back home. It's almost week long affair. Typically this has been growing 20%-25% year-on-year."
According to Wego search engine, Goa continues to be an all-time favorite and tops the destination list this winter. Among top international destinations are Bangkok, London, Singapore, Bali, Maldives and Dubai. The US is a hot-selling destination for all Indians with Las Vegas, Hilton Head Island and Houston being the most popular spots.
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