PANAJI
As the country celebrates Independence Day today “ a holiday “ coinciding with a long weekend, domestic flight fares showed a varied trend with indications of a possible shift in holiday preferences. While some routes have witnessed a sharp rise in prices, others have seen a significant drop.
On the Goa to Bangalore route, fares have seen a steady increase. The tickets started at Rs 2,186 on the eve of Independence Day with a slight rise to Rs 2,492 on Independence Day. However, the weekend has brought a surge as fares reach Rs 4,396 on Saturday and peak at Rs 8,416 on Sunday.
In contrast, the Bangalore to Goa route is showing a reverse trend. Prices on Wednesday were around Rs 7,000 with a slight dip to Rs 6,200 on Independence Day. Interestingly, as the weekend approaches, fares plummet to as low as Rs 2,000 “ a not-so-good indication for Goa.
The Delhi to Goa route is also experiencing a decline in fares as the weekend approaches. Priced at Rs 9,000 on Wednesday, tickets drop to Rs 7,000 on Independence Day with the weekend seeing a steep fall to Rs 3,916.
This stark reduction, stakeholders claim, shows that travellers could either be opting for alternative destinations or delaying their trips to avoid the peak holiday rush.
On the journey from Goa to Delhi, fares stood at Rs 4,998 on Wednesday, slightly higher at Rs 4,569 on Independence Day. However, the weekend brings a sharp increase with prices reaching Rs 7,275 on Saturday and soaring to Rs 11,926 on Sunday.
The Mumbai-Goa route, another popular travel corridor, has shown a sharp drop in prices. Fares at Rs 7,783 on Wednesday dropped to Rs 6,000 on Independence Day. As the weekend approaches, prices fall further to just Rs 1,900.
Conversely, the Goa to Bombay route is experiencing an increase in fares as the weekend approaches. Prices on Wednesday started at Rs 3,094, dropping to Rs 2,315 on Independence Day. However, the weekend sees a rise with fares reaching Rs 4,950 on Saturday and Rs 7,200 on Sunday, suggesting a higher demand for trips to Mumbai.
Ahmedabad, emerging as a top destination, is showing a drastic drop in fares as the weekend approaches. Wednesday’s prices for a flight to Goa were a steep Rs 17,235, dropping significantly to Rs 8,707 on Independence Day while the weekend records a more dramatic fall with prices plummeting to Rs 2,999 on Saturday and Rs 2,489 on Sunday.
Whereas Goa to Ahmedabad fares were Rs 5,922 on Wednesday and decreased to Rs 4,307 on Independence Day. However, the weekend sees prices fluctuating with a moderate fare of Rs 5,193 on Saturday, followed by a steep hike to Rs 13,235 on Sunday, possibly driven by a last-minute rush to return home.
Gujarat, which has emerged as the new tough contender for Goa, has already issued a travel advisory for passengers at Ahmedabad airport owing to an expected surge in air travel.
The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has conceded the rush is slightly lesser this year.
“Competition is high now. Mainly if you have booked a flight or a hotel online, your email is registered with the portal and they keep sending options of other places. So if a person has visited Goa before, the travel portal will offer deals of other holiday destinations to pick from,” another TTAG member said.
