Airfares skyrocket as tourists rush to Goa, Dubai for year-end festivities
With Christmas and New Year’s eve round the corner, the tour packages and airfares have almost doubled for Dubai and Goa. Flight ticket prices to other popular tourist destinations too have seen a 40 to 50 per cent spurt.
Be it Goa, Srinagar, Jaipur, Mumbai or Dubai, only flyers with deep pockets may be thinking of year-end trips. With the rising rush, availability of tickets becomes another factor.
A Mohali-based travel agency proprietor, Sumit Gandhi, said, “Goa and Dubai are the hot destinations for city residents. The four-day package to Dubai with on routine days costs Rs 60,000 is now costing around Rs 1.1 lakh. Air tickets for Goa on year-end have more than doubled. From Rs 18,000 it has touched almost Rs 40,000.”
Other tour operators reiterate that the spurt in prices is a part and parcel of the busy year-end season. “Prices will be high around December 24, December 30, and other holidays but there will be one or two days every week when you can get tickets at reasonable prices,” a Sector 34-based tour and travel operator said.
On a routine day, the airfare from Chandigarh to Delhi is around Rs 3,000 but it has touched Rs 5,700 for December 30.
The Chandigarh-Mumbai return ticket for December 24 is also priced at an exorbitant Rs 20,400 and Rs 19,010 for December 30.
Tour packages to Srinagar are witnessing a relatively tepid response given the extreme cold weather conditions prevailing right now. “Families with toddlers avoid going to extreme cold conditions. Goa and Dubai suit them as direct flights are available from Chandigarh,” a Phase-9 tour operator said.
The footfall at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport has also picked up since November and is expected to peak through December-end to February.
