In extended August holiday season, people heading abroad

Thailand, Mauritius, Malaysia are Macau among the preferred destinations. The Janmashtami weekend falls on Aug 10-12, Independence Day is on Aug 15 (a Wednesday), and the Eid weekend is from Aug 18 to 20.

Tour operators are delighted at this "unseasonal" tour season. While couples and groups are booking trips for a 10-day period beginning Aug 10, families and office goers are choosing between the two weekends.

"Technically there are two long weekends but we are looking at it as a 10-day holiday period owing to the bookings that we have got," Manmeet Ahluwalia, marketing head of online travel portal Expedia.co.in, told IANS.

"Several tours have been booked for the 10-day period beginning this Friday," he added.

He said there was no fixed pattern of bookings and the travellers are a mixed bag of families, groups of friends and newly married couples. Some people are also heading for the West.

The budget, duration of the vacation and discount offers, among others, play a pivotal role in deciding the destination for almost all the travellers, according to Prashant Chahuan, chief operating officer of Myguesthouse.com. The average holiday budget begins at Rs.5,000-10,000 per person and goes up to Rs.80,000 to Rs.100,000 - depending on the destination.