As popular tourist destinations lose their charm thanks to increasing
crowd and commercialisation, the trend is towards new unexplored places
for a holiday. Rakesh kumar trudges the road less travelled
Gone are the days when holiday destinations meant places like Shimla,
Mussourie, Agra, Jaipur or Manali. For those who could afford it, they
would book a trip to a limited set of foreign destinations for a holiday
with their family or friends. Now, a new trend is gaining ground,
particularly among the younger crowd, to visit less explored
destinations. It’s not uncommon for youngsters to take their car and go
where their will takes them, and stop wherever they like, irrespective
of the food or lodging available. “Mainly youngsters between 21 to 30
years of age are passionate about these sort of trips,” informed
Rajan Sehgal, president of Delhi-based Tour Operators' Associations.
“Moreover, they hardly care for any bookings, hotels or facilities available. They form a group, take out their car and go out.” Needless to say, India is a diverse place, where one can find a variety of places, with rapidly changing geography, language and people as one traverses through various parts of the country. Each part has its own charm ~ in the north one will find snow-capped Himalayas, in the west one can encounter the desert, South India is famous for its coastal areas, islands and temples while eastern India is a land of mysterious. Who doesn’t want to explore all these areas?
“Tourists are getting very smart now and they don’t want to spend their hard-earned money just to visit the same place every time,” said Vipin Sharma, another tour operator. “They need a change. In that anticipation, they go for unknown places, which often leads to great innovations and discoveries.” Official statistics also substantiate this trend ~ a little over 1,145 million domestic tourists visited different places in the country in 2013 while in 2012 the number was 1045.05 million ~ around nine per cent growth. Take any destination, tourist arrival has increased. “With an increasing middle class population, travel trend has also risen. Now people love to travel rather than keep away money for future,” said another tours operator.
The other reason for this trend is that popular places are over crowed. These places have witnessed such a huge rush that they have lost their essence. “Be it Shimla, Manali or Mussourie, these places have lost their natural beauty. As they increasingly got crowded, the places became crammed with commercial activities, which also led to loss of charm,” said Rajan Sehgal, pointing to Shimla and Mussourie as examples.
Many a time, these unexplored destinations also end up as a chance for adventure tourism for the youngsters ~ another reason for their rising popularity. This is what draws many groups to haunted places like Bhangarh, which was recently developed as a tourist spot. At the same time, visiting unexplored destinations have led to discovery of new places, which is no less of an adventure for these youngsters.
“When my father made plans for holiday at Nainital, many of us in the family refused,” said Kavita Adhikari, a teacher by profession. “The reason was simple ~ it was a place we had visited so many times that there is nothing new out there.” However, Mohd Shanawaz has different excuse to discover new places rather than visiting the same old ones. “During the long weekend around Independence Day, we made plans for an outing. However, when we tried to book hotels, to our surprise, there were no rooms (cheap) available and those that were quoted sky-high prices.”
During such long weekends and holidays, many hotels and resorts, particularly in the hills, increase their tariffs steeply. Therefore, due to this price factor, many people drop the idea of going to these hill stations. “Yes, it is true that during vacation these places become very costly for common man,” said another tour operator. “Therefore, there is a rising trend of visiting these unexplored places. Moreover, these places are not too far off, therefore, it won’t take much time for people to get back to work.”
Less explored destinations around Delhi
Dundlod
Around 252 km away from Delhi in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan is Dundlod. The place is popular for the Dundlod fort~ a blend of Rajput and Mughal architecture. Here one can see the fine mirror work at the Bhagirath Mal Goenka Haveli. The Marwari breed of horses are also bred here and a family arranges for tailor made desert safaris on them.
Pangot
To reach Pangot one will have to travel 13 km from Nainital, it is a beautiful hill hamlet in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. It is a popular summer getaway and tourists flock to this place during winters (November to February) too to witness the snowfall. It's also known for bird watching with over 150 different species of birds.
Pilibhit
Located 310 km away from Delhi in the state of Uttar Pradesh is Pilibhit, meaning 'Wall of Yellow Mud'. Its border touches the Nepal border and known for the origin of river Gomti. The whole area is densely forest region. Pilibhit is also called Bansuri Nagari and exports majority of India's flutes. It also has a Tiger Reserve that came into existence in 2008.
Shogi
Around 343 km away from Delhi, there is a small hill town Shoghi. It is also known for the temple town as it comprises a small cluster of villages - each with a temple of its own. Some of the famous temples include Tara Devi temple, Hanuman temple and Kali temple. Calm and secluded, this hill station can be taken-up as a cheaper alternative to Shimla.
Kausani
Renowned as Switzerland of India, the beautiful hill resort of Kausani is located at a distance of around 390 km from Delhi. One of the most mesmerizing hill stations in India, over 300 people as inhabitants, this place becomes just the right destination for spending a peaceful vacation.
“Moreover, they hardly care for any bookings, hotels or facilities available. They form a group, take out their car and go out.” Needless to say, India is a diverse place, where one can find a variety of places, with rapidly changing geography, language and people as one traverses through various parts of the country. Each part has its own charm ~ in the north one will find snow-capped Himalayas, in the west one can encounter the desert, South India is famous for its coastal areas, islands and temples while eastern India is a land of mysterious. Who doesn’t want to explore all these areas?
“Tourists are getting very smart now and they don’t want to spend their hard-earned money just to visit the same place every time,” said Vipin Sharma, another tour operator. “They need a change. In that anticipation, they go for unknown places, which often leads to great innovations and discoveries.” Official statistics also substantiate this trend ~ a little over 1,145 million domestic tourists visited different places in the country in 2013 while in 2012 the number was 1045.05 million ~ around nine per cent growth. Take any destination, tourist arrival has increased. “With an increasing middle class population, travel trend has also risen. Now people love to travel rather than keep away money for future,” said another tours operator.
The other reason for this trend is that popular places are over crowed. These places have witnessed such a huge rush that they have lost their essence. “Be it Shimla, Manali or Mussourie, these places have lost their natural beauty. As they increasingly got crowded, the places became crammed with commercial activities, which also led to loss of charm,” said Rajan Sehgal, pointing to Shimla and Mussourie as examples.
Many a time, these unexplored destinations also end up as a chance for adventure tourism for the youngsters ~ another reason for their rising popularity. This is what draws many groups to haunted places like Bhangarh, which was recently developed as a tourist spot. At the same time, visiting unexplored destinations have led to discovery of new places, which is no less of an adventure for these youngsters.
“When my father made plans for holiday at Nainital, many of us in the family refused,” said Kavita Adhikari, a teacher by profession. “The reason was simple ~ it was a place we had visited so many times that there is nothing new out there.” However, Mohd Shanawaz has different excuse to discover new places rather than visiting the same old ones. “During the long weekend around Independence Day, we made plans for an outing. However, when we tried to book hotels, to our surprise, there were no rooms (cheap) available and those that were quoted sky-high prices.”
During such long weekends and holidays, many hotels and resorts, particularly in the hills, increase their tariffs steeply. Therefore, due to this price factor, many people drop the idea of going to these hill stations. “Yes, it is true that during vacation these places become very costly for common man,” said another tour operator. “Therefore, there is a rising trend of visiting these unexplored places. Moreover, these places are not too far off, therefore, it won’t take much time for people to get back to work.”
Less explored destinations around Delhi
Around 252 km away from Delhi in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan is Dundlod. The place is popular for the Dundlod fort~ a blend of Rajput and Mughal architecture. Here one can see the fine mirror work at the Bhagirath Mal Goenka Haveli. The Marwari breed of horses are also bred here and a family arranges for tailor made desert safaris on them.
Pangot
To reach Pangot one will have to travel 13 km from Nainital, it is a beautiful hill hamlet in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. It is a popular summer getaway and tourists flock to this place during winters (November to February) too to witness the snowfall. It's also known for bird watching with over 150 different species of birds.
Pilibhit
Located 310 km away from Delhi in the state of Uttar Pradesh is Pilibhit, meaning 'Wall of Yellow Mud'. Its border touches the Nepal border and known for the origin of river Gomti. The whole area is densely forest region. Pilibhit is also called Bansuri Nagari and exports majority of India's flutes. It also has a Tiger Reserve that came into existence in 2008.
Shogi
Around 343 km away from Delhi, there is a small hill town Shoghi. It is also known for the temple town as it comprises a small cluster of villages - each with a temple of its own. Some of the famous temples include Tara Devi temple, Hanuman temple and Kali temple. Calm and secluded, this hill station can be taken-up as a cheaper alternative to Shimla.
Kausani
Renowned as Switzerland of India, the beautiful hill resort of Kausani is located at a distance of around 390 km from Delhi. One of the most mesmerizing hill stations in India, over 300 people as inhabitants, this place becomes just the right destination for spending a peaceful vacation.
