A holiday this summer could cost you 10-25% less depending on the location and package you choose.
Travel operators have started doling out discounts and dollies to make you spend, eager not to lose the peak holiday season to the ongoing slowdown.
Sample the offers: pay for 15 days in Europe and get three nights in Scotland free; pay for 14 days in the US and get eight nights in Singapore and Malaysia free; stay for two nights in five star hotels and get one night free; get 25-50% cash back on holiday, to name some.
And it isn’t just international travel packages, even travel within the country is being offered at a discount — as much as 25% — subject to conditions.
It’s a desperate bid by operators to break back into the growth trajectory they were in a couple of years ago, concedes Ashwini Kakkar of Mercury Travels. “We had been growing at 15% earlier. But last year, growth for the entire industry was in the range of 5%. As a result, travel agents are ready to work for half the margins.”
The depreciating rupee has made holidays to international destinations more expensive by 10-20% and these offers are ways to entice customers, said Pradip Lulla, chairman, Cupid Tours Travels.
What helps the operators offer such rates is that flight tickets to international destinations, including Europe and the US, are 10-15% cheaper, according to Rajesh Rateria of Cirrus Travels.
While air travel within the country is not cheap yet, for the first time, high-end luxury hotels such as Oberoi and Four Seasons are offering up to 25-50% discounts on room rentals.
To be sure, summer accounts for around 50-60% of the total business for most travel agents.
But with demand showing few signs of improvement, it is likely the offers will continue for a while, say experts.
Buyers should, however, read the fine print before opening their wallets, caution experts.
For one, the list of exclusions in these offers tends to be a long one. Chances are internal tickets within a country or meals are not included, in which case, your total travel cost will go up.
On offer, holidays at never-before prices
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