“If one books in advance, one can get a good rate. But the average (fares) should be where they are, otherwise we will all go out of business,” he said.
The decline in COVID-19 cases and the rise in vaccination numbers has fueled confidence and a steady rise in the demand for leisure travel. India on Tuesday reported 8,865 new Covid-19 cases, the lowest in a single day in nine months. Active cases accounted for less than 1% of the total cases and stood at 0.38%, the lowest since March last year.
Indivar Rastogi, President and Group Head, Global Business Travel at Thomas Cook India and SOTC, said the growth in domestic air travel has resulted from strong demand for domestic air travel due to limited reopening of international routes.
“For example, during which time did the 100% increase from Ahmedabad to Port Blair start” long weekend of Dussehra,” he said. “For other destinations, the boom continues for the Christmas/holiday season. With Goa being the holiday favourite, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata have seen an increase of 10-30% and Ahmedabad 50%. Airfares to Kashmir from Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata have increased by 5-10%, while Bengaluru has also seen an increase of 10% to Chandigarh.
For travel from December 24 to January 2, a Delhi-Goa return trip on Cleartrip can set you back Rs 21,165 if you book now. The fare for the same route for the coming weekend (November 19-22) on the portal is Rs 15,732. Mumbai-Udaipur round-trip fare for travel between November 26 and December 1 on Ixigo is around Rs 10,000, but round-trip fare for the same route for year-end travel – December 25 to January 1 – is currently 14,176 is approximately Rs. , Thomas Cook said the Mumbai-Goa return fare in October was around Rs 8,000 and for the journey at the end of December is Rs 15,000. The company said that earlier the fare for the Mumbai-Srinagar flight was Rs 14,000, but now it is around Rs 25,000.
Nishant Pitti, CEO and Cofounder, EasyMyTrip, said that there is a great demand for leisure travel and the platform is witnessing an average growth of around 10% on a weekly basis, which is 15% higher than the previous month.
“The airfares on the Delhi-Goa-Delhi route and the Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai route have increased by about 30 per cent since September,” he said. “The airfares for the next month for advance bookings made up to November 15 have increased by about 25%.” India is still regulating the fares for the next 15 days of travel.
Chief Business Officer Prahlad Krishnamurthy said Goa, Udaipur, Jaipur and Tirupati are the most popular destinations with the biggest increase in prices from October to November on Cleartrip. While the fare from Mumbai to Udaipur is 17% higher than last month, the fare from Delhi to Goa has increased by 15%.
Rajnish Kumar, co-founder and group chief product and technology officer, iXigo, said the demand for domestic travel is increasing every week.
“Fares for holiday travel destinations have become higher than for city routes,” he said. “The average fares for popular holidays like Goa and Jaipur during the winter season have seen a 10-15% month-on-month increase.”
Travelers should book their tickets for winter holidays well in advance as the strong demand for leisure travel may result in an increase in the airfares pattern in the coming month.