Tourism set to pick up as summer vacations beckon

Destinations such as Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh seeing demand

Summer is fast approaching and that means the vacations are around the corner. But with the pandemic playing villain for what is unarguably the longest peak vacation period for Indians for two years in a row, all hopes are pinned on 2022 for the return of the big summer holiday. Tour operators say the signs are promising as the tourism sector is already seeing a revival after the third wave.

“There was a brief gap in January due to the third wave of infections. But people have started planning for the April-May summer vacations. Most people are looking at domestic tourism, mainly Himalayan destinations such as Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, etc,” said Aravind Kumar, managing partner, Crimson Holidays. He added that a few “bravehearts” are looking at international destinations such as Europe. “Thailand is open, but connectivity is a problem from Bengaluru right now. In fact, demand is only there for Sri Lanka, Maldives and Dubai due to connectivity,” he added.