Affordable, experiential travel destinations on Bengalureans’ itineraries for holiday season 

The end of the year usually means travel for most people as schools declare holidays and working employees do their best to utilise their leaves left for the year. With many countries offering visa-free travel or on-arrival visa to Indians, those from Bengaluru bitten by the travel bug are travelling international this time. 

The end of the year usually means travel for most people as schools declare holidays and working employees do their best to utilise their leaves left for the year. With many countries offering visa-free travel or on-arrival visa to Indians, those from Bengaluru bitten by the travel bug are travelling international this time. 

Thailand, Bali, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka have emerged as the preferred destinations internationally, while Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Dehradun, and Kerala are the domestic favourites.

Private travel agencies have noted that apart from families and couples planning tours, this year, millennial and Gen-Z groups are also booking group packages as they look to balance their year-end leaves. 

“We are getting bookings for packages and vehicles from groups of youngsters as travel has become more affordable now. Thailand, Puducherry, Kerala, and Bali are some of the destinations preferred by these groups,” said Harish, a travel operator from Yelahanka New Town. 

Within the State, the Tourism Department has seen that hilly destinations are most visited, followed by coastal and religious destinations. “As there are holidays for 10 days now, families are travelling with children. The Shakti scheme has also driven up visitors to temples,” said a senior official from the department.  

Be it local or international trips, affordability is playing a big role especially among younger groups. “A major travel trend observed among travellers from Bengaluru is keeping affordability in mind. Though we have witnessed an overall increase in luxury travel, Bengaluru is not fixated on that. Travellers from Karnataka have booked their travel 30 to 45 days in advance of the year-end and these plans are accompanied by the affordability factor,” said Rikant Pittie, co-founder of EaseMyTrip. 

He said that the travellers from the State are choosing a mix of destinations based on affordability, leisure and kind of experiences they are seeking.