New Delhi: Delhiites are making a beeline to head out of the city for an extended four-day weekend, with schools shut Friday due to Brics-related security curbs and Monday a holiday for some on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.Hoteliers are reporting a major spike in demand for nearby drivable getaways across Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, causing hotel tariffs in these destinations to increase by 20% to 40%.“We have witnessed a healthy uptick in demand from Delhi-NCR over the long weekend, with guests opting for short, motorable destinations,” said Atul Bhalla, vice-president (north and west), ITC Hotels. “Nearby leisure markets have witnessed stronger weekend enquiries. Welcomhotel Chandigarh, Storii Kaba Retreat Solan and Storii Naina Tikkar are expecting a robust occupancy this weekend. The Golden Triangle properties, including ITC Rajputana, ITC Mughal in Agra, ITC Grand Bharat and Mementos Jaipur, remain hot favourites,” he added.“There’s been an additional demand in packages, especially in the last 72 hours, at many locations. It is predominantly leisure-led, with families and couples looking at quick breaks,” said Bhalla.According to a Cleartrip spokesperson, data from its travel trends tracker mirrors the surge. “Nearby destinations like Jaipur, Agra, Rishikesh, Mussoorie, and Jim Corbett are seeing strong demand from Delhiites,” according to the online travel agency.“Standard and mid-range hotel rates across these places range from Rs 2,200 to Rs 6,500 per night, while heritage and luxury properties cost between Rs 8,000 and Rs 22,000. During high-demand weekends like this one, the rates surge by 20% to 40% on average. Hill destinations like Rishikesh and Mussoorie are seeing the steepest premium, with wildlife circuits like Jim Corbett National Park not far behind,” Cleartrip said.“Searches for hotels outside the city are up 30% to 35% compared to two weeks ago. Jaipur, Agra, Dehradun, Mussoorie and Rishikesh are among the destinations recording strong interest,” Aloke Bajpai, group CEO of ixigo, said.A spokesperson for FlixBus India said it has seen “a notable week-on-week increase in searches for intercity bus travel from Delhi to popular short-break destinations”, with the maximum surge recorded on routes to Kathgodam and Haldwani, followed by Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Bir and Dharamshala.
