Speak up Mumbai: Diwali is no longer just a festival, it's a vacation

With Diwali vacations just round the corner, a quick holiday away from the city is something that seems to be on everyone's mind. There has been a surge in travel bookings with more citizens ditching traditional ways of celebrating the festival of lights at home and choosing to unwind at a quick getaway.

As per travel experts, there has been a significant increase in customers travelling during the festive season. Despite an approximate spike of 36 per cent in domestic and 42 per cent in international fares, citizens are not ready to stay put at home this festive season. Inbound travel is also on the rise with many people travelling back home for the festivities

According to data provided by Mumbai Airport on travels trend in domestic and international sectors between April and August this year, top-booked cities include Delhi, Bengaluru, Goa, Hyderabad and Chennai in domestic sector.

On the international route the most travelled destination Dubai followed by London, Singapore, Bangkok and Abu Dhabi.

Mumbai Airport saw footfalls of 20.73 million passengers — both domestic and international — during the mentioned period.

DNA spoke to citizens to know more about their plans. While crackers, sweets, lights, diyas, food, family and friends get together marked the celebration of some, most of them are vying for a peaceful Diwali away from hustle bustle of city life.

VOICES

Being a PR by profession, a long break isn't an option due to commitments towards client. So this Diwali I chose Tarkarli for a three day vacation. Tarkarli is a gorgeous beach with captivating white sand. The most exciting and adventurous thing about the beach that it offers scuba diving exploration allows you an opportunity to delve deep into the magical beauty of marine life. 
—Aishwarya Bane, Dahisar

I want to do something special this Diwali for my family. I wish to take them for a drive to Mahabaleshwar and gift each one of those accompanying me. I had been thinking about this for a while now, but time never permitted to implement the plan. We are too busy with our work and lives. Diwali is the best time to implement the plan; it is an opportunity to strengthen family bonds and spend quality time with each other and make the best use of it. 
—Shweta Vyas, Bhuleshwar

We have not made any special plan as such, but we usually prefer to travel during Diwali. Though our plans are not elaborate, considering time constraints and ticket management, so we travel to nearby places like Gujarat or Pune as per convenience. We may hire a vehicle and drive to hill stations in south Gujarat which takes less time and won't burn us out. Even places like Karjat and other adjoining hill stations are worth visiting during Diwali; but Gujarat being the hometown, it is our most preferred place to visit during the festive season. 
—Nikin Panchal, Dahisar

Diyas, food, family and friends mark our Diwali celebrations. Thus we avoid going outstation during this part of the year. We pay a visit to relatives and have good food at home. Another reason why I prefer to stay in Mumbai is that with most people planning their trip, travelling outstation during Diwali is a hassle. Thus, we all decide which cousin will hold the get-together. We all flock the venue on the day we all agree upon and have a gala time. 
—Nikhil Desai, Matunga

For me, Diwali is just about spending time with family, cleaning the house, preparing sweets, lighten up the house and visiting relatives. I would have loved to travel but there are too many engagements during this time at home that makes it difficult to travel or go out of town. 
—Archie Vora, Borivali

Though I have not zeroed in on the place yet, I will taking my family out for a vacation this Diwali. Currently, the situation in Mumbai is bad when it comes to noise and air pollution. Things will worsen during the festival. The best way to avoid it is to go out of Mumbai where there is peace and silence. 
—Madhu Kotian, Mulund

After bhai dooj, I along with my family will travel to a forest retreat in the state. This is the best way to escape from all the noise and air pollution. The trip will help my 8-year-old daughter connect with nature, which this tech-savvy generation badly needs. 
—Anand Shirali, Andheri

We usually go to our native place in Bihar during Diwali. However, this year we have decided to stay in Mumbai due to fall in business. I have dropped travel plans for now but if I do good business during Diwali I will go to Goa for a vacation with my family. 
—Asit Singh, Borivali

EXPERTSPEAKS

With Diwali just around the corner, excitement for the festive season is at its peak. Despite an approximate spike of 36 per cent in domestic and 42 per cent in international fares, travel is on the rise. We have observed bookings for both, travellers who are heading home or planning a leisure getaway for the upcoming long weekends. Apart from key metros , hill stations have also seen a strong growth in demand from people who want to escape pollution. Inbound travel is also on the rise, specially from UK and US. 
—Aloke Bajpai, CEO and co-founder, ixigo, a travel website

This year, during the festive season, we witnessed a mix of travellers visiting their hometowns or opting various off-beat destinations for short trips. This trend has been noticed despite a hike in the fares on popular routes such as Mumbai-Bangalore, Delhi-Mumbai. The steep spike in the fares as compared to last year can be attributed to various reasons like increase in passenger load factor, ATF etc. Travellers are breaking away from the conventional mindset of staying or visiting hometown during festivals. 
—Sharat Dhall, chief operating officer at Yatra.com