Several Mumbai residents have booked trips to popular holiday destinations like Lonavala, Mahabaleshwar, Alibaug, and Matheran for the long weekend.
With Independence Day on Monday and Parsi New Year on Tuesday, many are in a position to take a four-day break. Some are even using this period to visit their hometowns. Many of these holiday destinations are reporting over 90% occupancy this weekend, even with room rates up by 15% to 20% as a result of the demand.
Prashant Nikawadi, reservation manager at Blizzard Resort, Mahabaleshwar, said, “We were full a month in advance. The cost of hotel reservation does increase anytime there is a long weekend or a holiday. This time, it has increased by roughly 15% to 20%. Half our customers are from Mumbai, 30% from Pune, and the rest from Gujarat and other places."
Nikawadi said such extended getaways are essential for the public, especially after the pandemic. “The interesting part is that people have also started booking hotels so that they can work from there instead of from home," he added. Ashutosh Kumar, manager at Dreamers Resort, Lonavala, said, "This weekend has been like a bonus for all businesses that thrive on tourism. Since the lockdown, the tourism industry was one of the major sectors that were hit and we faced immense losses, but now, especially since the end of the third wave, our business has started to pick up."
Virat Shah, a working professional from Santa Cruz, said, “I planned a three-day mini-vacation with my family to Mahabaleshwar because August has back-to-back public holidays.” Joslin Kurian from Vasai, who is studying to be a chartered accountant, said, “It’s good to take breaks in between our busy schedule of work and studies.
