Pune: Weekend has started early for thousands of Puneites as they head out for short getaways, with hotels and resorts in and around the city witnessing an unprecedented surge in demand . Wanowrie resident Rahul Mukesh booked tickets for a family holiday in Goa almost two months in advance. “Travel and accommodation get expensive closer to the long weekend.
We look forward to experiencing Goa in the rains,” he added. Travel marketplaces witnessed early signs of the surging demand. “Leisure destinations within drivable distances from Pune and Mumbai — such as Lonavla, Mahabaleshwar, Karjat, Nashik and Alibaug, have witnessed 75%-150% surge in searches compared to the same time last year,” said Santosh Kumar, Booking.
com’s country manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia. Most Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) resorts in areas like Malshej Ghat, Mahabaleshwar, Koyna, Karla and Panshet are 100% booked for the weekend. “People have shown a preference for destinations like picturesque hill stations with lots of natural beauty.
Heritage locations like Ajanta-Ellora and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar are trending too. Pilgrimage destinations like Shirdi and Bhimashankar have seen good bookings,” said Chandrashekhar Jaiswal, general manager at MTDC, which has 32 resorts in the state. EaseMyTrip co-founder Rikant Pittie said, “Scenic getaways within a 100km radius of Pune are drawing travellers in large numbers, resulting in a surge in demand.
We have seen a 2x increase in bookings of resorts and hotels around the city for the upcoming long weekend.” Nikhil Sharma, MD and area senior vice-president of South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, said, “We have witnessed a 20% surge in demand for resorts and hotels compared to last year, and we anticipate the trend to accelerate further.” He said Lonavla and Nashik were also popular among travellers.
Meanwhile, city restaurants are optimistic about a boost in business over the weekend, wishing to recover from recent issues faced by the industry. “Restaurants have come up with engaging initiatives for the long weekend. However, action being taken against restaurants in Pune has led to a drop in revenues and consumption — especially for restaurants serving alcohol.
Customers are cautious because the environment has not been great for them. We don’t know what to expect, but hope for the best,” said Praful Chandawarkar, mentor, National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI). Over the last few months, there were a lot of changes with respect to functioning of restaurants, timings, rules and the service area, said Ajinkya Udane, Pune co-chapter head, NRAI.
“Temporarily suspended liquor licences of restaurants have recently been restored. Many establishments are still in the set-up phase and many may not be ready to give offers to customers this weekend,” he added..
