Holidays and vacations have
taken a new meaning with people now opting for short weekend breaks at
off-beat destinations closer to home. Rakesh kumar explores some of them
Weekend is no longer a mere break in the office routine, when one relaxed at home with family or friends It has taken a whole new meaning with outings becoming a growing
trend in India, particularly with the young, who would rather spend
quality time at some holiday destination than turn into couch potatoes
at home. Reasons for this change in attitude are plenty but the average
Indian domestic traveller is becoming more experienced, adopting the
characteristics of evolved and discerning travellers both in behaviour
and travel purchases. “Down the years, there has been a huge growth in
the outings c
ulture and the credit goes to none other than the advent of corporate culture. Thus, you would notice these days, every other office goer making plan for a break in some hill station or nearby tourist destination rather than killing time at home,” pointed out Gajender Singh, general manager of Hotel Hiva in Alwar.
However, a Delhi-based tour operator has a different take on this. “We agree that the corporate sector played a vital role in promoting outings culture among Indians. But another factor is the growing affluence of middle class, compared with earlier. Now people are more open in terms of spending money. They do not mind spending on tourism related activities.”
According to a report, India Tourism Market and Future Forecast (2009-15) domestic tourism is expected to increase at an annual compound growth rate of 12.29 per cent in 2008-15. At the same time, this sector could generate the second largest number of jobs in the country in the coming days.
Love for adventure
Just a few years ago, a holiday for an Indian meant typically a trip to the nearest hill resort to escape the heat of the plains, or a weekend break at the beach. But now people sweat away hard-earned vacation mountaineering, paragliding, rock-climbing, scuba diving, skiing, trekking, and white-water rafting have. In addition to leisure holidays, spiritual tourism and short weekend breaks are popular among Indian travellers. In fact, adventure tourism has grown by 65 per cent world over last year.
“Earlier during summer vacation or any other long holidays, we would get inquiries for travel packages. But now, the scenario has totally changed and people ask for tour packages for weekend. And most of the inquiry is for adventure activities,” said a tour operator.
Not far from home
Where once popular tourist destinations such as Shimla, Mussorie, Nainital and Agra were sought out, now the taste has changed. People love to explore places closer to home for a two-day holiday as it saves time and are cost effective. There are a number of such places near Delhi NCR, for instance ~ Western Resort Country Club, Manesar; Golden Huts, Heritage Village, Manesar; Pratap Garh Farms, Magsons Resort, Kosi; Damdama lake; Fun ‘n Food Village; Surjivan resort, Manesar; Turtle Farm Resort, Gurgaon; Aapno Ghar, Manesar; Fun Town; Camp Wild, Dhauj, Faridabad; and Classic Golf Resort, Gurgaon. Moreover, other places gaining popularity are Amritsar, Chandigarh, Chail, Jaipur, Gwalior, Khajuarao, Neemarana and Jodhpur.
“Over the last 10 years, there has been a dramatic shift in the mind-set of people in terms of wanting to explore and go beyond the regular adventures that they normally take,” said the tour operator.
Corporate culture
A major factor, which spread the love for weekend travel among the people, is the growing multi-national companies. As per their strategy, they engage the hearts, minds, and hands of their employees with the trips to nearby areas. “To make our customers happy, we have to make sure our employees are happy first,” said Sharif Ahmed, Team leader of IBM. “The atmosphere at workplace can positively or negatively affect a worker’s performance, hence one good way to build and maintain the company’s culture is through opting for team outing.”
Some favourite destinations for a weekend getaway:
Bharatpur (Rajasthan)
Apart from the birds sanctuary, the place is famous for forts, palaces and
Mughal and Rajput architecture visible almost everywhere.
Corbett National Park
The Park is located in the foothills of the Himalaya, in the midst of lush greenery and uneven mountains with varying heights, ranging fromabout 1,300 feet to nearly 4,000 feet above sea level.
Jaipur
The Pink City of Jaipur proliferates in its magnificent past, bellicose history, renowned tradition, architectural elegance andnatural vista.
Mount Abu (Rajasthan)
The cool and fragrant ambience with rich flora in Mount Abu attracts thousands of tourists every year.
Khajuraho (Madhya Pardesh)
A historic city widely acclaimed for its lovely temples with erotic sculptures, Khajuraho is located in the woody plains of Bundelkhand region and readily accessible from across the country.
Pushkar (Rajasthan)
Pushkar is one city in India that everybody knows and wishes to visit someday. This sacred city of Hindus is only 10 km from Ajmer in Rajasthan
ulture and the credit goes to none other than the advent of corporate culture. Thus, you would notice these days, every other office goer making plan for a break in some hill station or nearby tourist destination rather than killing time at home,” pointed out Gajender Singh, general manager of Hotel Hiva in Alwar.
However, a Delhi-based tour operator has a different take on this. “We agree that the corporate sector played a vital role in promoting outings culture among Indians. But another factor is the growing affluence of middle class, compared with earlier. Now people are more open in terms of spending money. They do not mind spending on tourism related activities.”
According to a report, India Tourism Market and Future Forecast (2009-15) domestic tourism is expected to increase at an annual compound growth rate of 12.29 per cent in 2008-15. At the same time, this sector could generate the second largest number of jobs in the country in the coming days.
Love for adventure
Just a few years ago, a holiday for an Indian meant typically a trip to the nearest hill resort to escape the heat of the plains, or a weekend break at the beach. But now people sweat away hard-earned vacation mountaineering, paragliding, rock-climbing, scuba diving, skiing, trekking, and white-water rafting have. In addition to leisure holidays, spiritual tourism and short weekend breaks are popular among Indian travellers. In fact, adventure tourism has grown by 65 per cent world over last year.
“Earlier during summer vacation or any other long holidays, we would get inquiries for travel packages. But now, the scenario has totally changed and people ask for tour packages for weekend. And most of the inquiry is for adventure activities,” said a tour operator.
Where once popular tourist destinations such as Shimla, Mussorie, Nainital and Agra were sought out, now the taste has changed. People love to explore places closer to home for a two-day holiday as it saves time and are cost effective. There are a number of such places near Delhi NCR, for instance ~ Western Resort Country Club, Manesar; Golden Huts, Heritage Village, Manesar; Pratap Garh Farms, Magsons Resort, Kosi; Damdama lake; Fun ‘n Food Village; Surjivan resort, Manesar; Turtle Farm Resort, Gurgaon; Aapno Ghar, Manesar; Fun Town; Camp Wild, Dhauj, Faridabad; and Classic Golf Resort, Gurgaon. Moreover, other places gaining popularity are Amritsar, Chandigarh, Chail, Jaipur, Gwalior, Khajuarao, Neemarana and Jodhpur.
“Over the last 10 years, there has been a dramatic shift in the mind-set of people in terms of wanting to explore and go beyond the regular adventures that they normally take,” said the tour operator.
Corporate culture
A major factor, which spread the love for weekend travel among the people, is the growing multi-national companies. As per their strategy, they engage the hearts, minds, and hands of their employees with the trips to nearby areas. “To make our customers happy, we have to make sure our employees are happy first,” said Sharif Ahmed, Team leader of IBM. “The atmosphere at workplace can positively or negatively affect a worker’s performance, hence one good way to build and maintain the company’s culture is through opting for team outing.”
Some favourite destinations for a weekend getaway:
Bharatpur (Rajasthan)
Apart from the birds sanctuary, the place is famous for forts, palaces and
Corbett National Park
The Park is located in the foothills of the Himalaya, in the midst of lush greenery and uneven mountains with varying heights, ranging fromabout 1,300 feet to nearly 4,000 feet above sea level.
Jaipur
The Pink City of Jaipur proliferates in its magnificent past, bellicose history, renowned tradition, architectural elegance andnatural vista.
Mount Abu (Rajasthan)
The cool and fragrant ambience with rich flora in Mount Abu attracts thousands of tourists every year.
Khajuraho (Madhya Pardesh)
A historic city widely acclaimed for its lovely temples with erotic sculptures, Khajuraho is located in the woody plains of Bundelkhand region and readily accessible from across the country.
Pushkar (Rajasthan)
Pushkar is one city in India that everybody knows and wishes to visit someday. This sacred city of Hindus is only 10 km from Ajmer in Rajasthan
