People in the city have begun planning for a four-day holiday at places such as Kolli Hills and Kashmir, by the end of next week. In the last few weeks, the number of enquiries for travel, both domestic and international, has touched nearly 50% of the pre COVID-19 levels, says travel and tourism experts.
For couples planning for a honeymoon or an international holiday, Maldives seems to be a favourite destination, S. Jeyasekaran of Travel Agents Association of India says. “For three nights and four days, they have to shell out anywhere between ₹90,000 to a lakh and I see many of them are preferring this holiday spot. There are also a few who are travelling to Sri Lanka too. For those who want a beach holiday but can’t spend close to a lakh, then Andaman and Nicobar Islands is where they head to, as this will cost them close to ₹35,000 including air fare,” he adds.
Up north, quite a lot of them want to fly to Kashmir, Leh and Ladakh next weekend or sometime this month before the peak winter sets in, he adds.
Closer home, in the south, for those who are wary of taking flights but want to drive down with family for those four days, a host of options are present, says travel agents. Since far too many have to been to Puducherry and Mamallapuram, those travelling with friends or family or going trekking, want to explore new places, Sriharan Balan of Madura Travels says.
“Apart from Yercaud and Yelagiri, Kolli Hills where people can visit waterfalls, Kotagiri for tea estate and Kodanad view point will be a nice option for a short stay. Valparai too has good hotels, and some beautiful place for those leisure stay,” he adds.
Trekking enthusiasts have already made plans for this long weekend, Ronald Rajesh of Chennai Adventure Club says. “We are almost sold out for those four days. The places we will be covering include Parambikulam, Valparai, Masinagudi and Kotagiri. Those looking to go trekking can also explore Jawadhu Hills, Kalvarayan Hills and Yelagiri,” he adds.
