Honeymoon season for Noida tour operators

NOIDA: Travel tour planners in Noida are looking forward to a long wedding season that will last till April first week next year. Local players said that the gloom has started to fade as domestic travel destinations are now being sought after in good deal.

Sanjay Singh, chief operating officer (COO), Overall Travels.com said, “The market is gaining pace which is definitely a positive sign. People will surely pour in a considerable amount of money as soon as the economy improves.”

Singh who sees wedding as a recession-proof event added, market was tight and rupee fell consistently, but people didn’t strike down their plans, they made little changes only, like the overseas travel converted into domestic ones and the luxury deals converted into the budget deals.”

Another player, Teesta Travels talked about the inherent advantage of being located in Noida. “People here have high disposable incomes. The only trend that is evident is that people are switching to budget packages. The seven-day packages have come down to 2-3 days,” said Kumar Mallick, owner of the 13-year-old company. The company caters to domestic market only, pointed out Mallick.

Singh echoed similar sentiments, “So far with my interactions with the people especially in Noida, I have realised that there was penny pinching but no strike-offs because honeymoons are quite different from normal travels and couples are very excited about it.”

“We can say that around 15 percent people don’t change their travel plans while 30-40 percent end up altering their destinations,” said Sanjeev, elaborating about overall scenario that includes wedding tour packages.

Gour Kanjilal, secretary general of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) also lauded the spurt in domestic travel. “Delhi-NCR based operators’ business has jumped from 3-4 percent to 15 percent. Rupee fall has had a positive effect on international tourists.” He reasoned, “India is a long haul destination. Domestic travel destinations for overseas tourist saw a surge and International travelers who were already in the country extended their stay, traveled to more destinations and shopped.”

Kanjilal further said, “We have a good 3-4 months ahead which will bring couples going for honeymoon, travelers looking for rejuvenation and spa therapy and also people coming to attend weddings or going on excursions. The last segment also contributes a good 25-30 percent of the business.”

A newspaper report suggests that there has been an upsurge of over 8 percent per person in the package cost with the rise in hotel rooms and site-seeing costs. People’s preferences have also diversified while choosing their honeymoon destinations. “We have received 70-80 queries from couples asking about excursions into the wild forests. They have expressed desire to stay in camps, trek and enjoy campfires. They are now, preferring resorts to humdrum hotels,” said Col Vikram Pandey, director of Noida-based Beyond Wild.

“Among domestic destinations, Khajuraho and Panna are the most sought after. We have spent Rs3-4 crore in construction and upkeep of our resorts in Gwalior, Panna, Manas, Kaziranga and Panolim Beach in Goa,” said Col Vikram. The company is Pune based and has opened another branch in Noida to tap Delhi-NCR region. “Noida, Delhi and Gurgaon markets have huge potential. We are also seeing Ghaziabad and Faridabad as developing markets,” said Vikram, explaining rationale behind opening a franchise here.

Sanjay speaking about evergreen destinations said “Thailand, Sri Lanka, Goa, Malaysia are some popular wedding destinations, which enjoy good season throughout the year. These are places less affected by market forces and ups and downs in the economy.”