Holi festivities over, road trips continue! Lesser known destinations, wellness retreats top travel preferences

Holi celebrations are over, still travel vibes are flying high! In fact, longer durations and road trips to relatively unknown destinations is a travel trend that is gathering momentum for long weekends. The long weekend for Holi turned out to be a win-win for Indian travellers who planned their weekend getaways before the Holi festivities could begin! Notably, hotels and restaurants geared up to tap into the festive opportunity to woo guests and pamper them with good deals and safety oriented offers!

According to Zostel, “Pushkar, Chitkul and Kullu are the top places that got more attraction and popularity for Holi celebrations. The travel bookings spanned 3-4 on average, with people trying to maximize their long weekends. People are choosing their destinations based on them being less touristy, exploring little known destinations to avoid the crowd.”

Travel & Hospitality Trends: Emergence of Wellness retreats

Wellness emerges a top priority for guests and domestic travellers, which is why there is a growing preference for wellness retreats.

“It goes without saying that people have now started taking Ayurveda more seriously than ever before,” observes Jaspreet Singh, Executive Director at Vana, “Indian wellness practices like meditation, consumption of home made decoctions, yoga have now become a ritual for many. In fact, our core offerings at Vana have always been Ayurveda, Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan Healing) and yoga in its true form, which is complemented by nourishing cuisine. We have always put in the wisdom of our traditional practices in the forefront and this is how we have sustained it so far. As our approach is minimalistic, we stand rooted at all ends. Our retreat is beyond conventional labelling and it is best understood by how we define it. We see welless as a choice, as a set of tools and a means to achieve a coherent state of well being.”

Increase in road travels as people avoid airports

Meanwhile, Vista Rooms told Financial Express Online, “Due to the partial lockdown in Maharashtra, we have seen a surge in bookings. In the last five days, the bookings have gone up to 10% to 12%, majorly for Maharashtra. We are also witnessing an increase in road travels as people are avoiding airports. This has led to longer stay bookings spanning 20 to 30 days. Therefore, all the properties are taking all essential precautions to ensure the maximum safety of guests.

Holi Festivities: Notable safety precautions by hotels

A notable measure by Vista Rooms is that if any guests require to see COVID negative certificates of employees, they can inform the management 72 hours earlier and it will be made available. Also, guests are encouraged to cook by themselves as an option and requests are made to guests to avoid venturing outside the property. While venturing outdoors, the guests are requested to inform the property manager.

Few additional safety precautions during Holi festivities that Zostel shared with Financial Express Online are as follows:

1. Indoor celebrations were avoided.
2. More private areas earmarked for small groups.
3. Open air arrangements for larger groups.
4. One time use cutlery as an eco-friendly measure.
5. Masks and sanitizers handed out on request for free or nominal charges.
6. Eco-friendly practices and safe areas to do away with their masks.

Healthy living, through wellness packages a key offering

Meanwhile, Vana’s Executive Director Jaspreet Singh told Financial Express Online, “In recent times, people have understood the relevance of healthy living. Focus on wellness has now become an important aspect for every individual. Since our reopening in October, we have witnessed a steady rise in domestic travellers. The fact that we offer Ayurveda, Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan Healing) and Yoga in its true authenticity, we have over time seen guests visiting us repeatedly either for a quick recharge or to witness a healing journey ahead.”