Jamaica

How about partying on the sandy beaches of the Philippines this New Year? Or even on the goldens sands half way across the world in Jamaica? If that doesn’t catch your fancy why not try renting a cottage in Mauritius?

Suffering from the Been There, Done That Syndrome? Had it up to here with all the old options like Bangkok, Singapore and Dubai? Maybe it’s time to head out further afield. You’ll be in good company as many Indians are heading to new destinations.

“In their search for something new, Indians are heading to places like Mauritius and Jamaica for the New Year,” says Kavi Ghei, director of Trac Representatives, a destination management company that represents more than five tourism boards.

Ghei says that beach destinations will always be popular. And he reckons the beaches of Bali and Mauritius are the real thing. He says about 3,000 Indians went to these two destinations for the New Year break in 2005-06. He reckons that’s likely to rise to about 4,000-5,000 visitors this year. In terms of price you could end up spending Rs 30,000 to Rs 80,000 per head in Mauritius for a six-night, seven-day package depending on the hotel category.

In Bali there’s an inducement for budget-conscious travellers. Hotel rates have dropped since the blast. “It’s value for money where you shell out about Rs 40,000 per head for a 4-night, 5-day deal,” says Rati Shroff, MD, Select Vacations, a travel company. “While the airfare remains the same, hotel prices have dropped by 10-15 per cent,” she adds.

Macau is a tiny dot on the map. But it’s had a makeover in recent years with new casinos and hotels opening their doors. By 2007, the Macau Venetian with over 20,000 rooms will be open. Last month, The Sea Wind Resort (owned by the same person who started the Flamingo hotel in Las Vegas) opened.

Senado Square in Macau

Also, there are casinos like Sands. Macau, incidentally, has ambitions of growing bigger than Las Vegas. “Indians anyway love to go there and gamble. The pubs situated next to the sea are great and the place is open till 4 am ” says Sanjeet of the Macau Tourism Board in India. He expects at least 5,000 Indians to be there this season. Room rates are competitive at $100 to $150 a night in a good hotel.

Compared to the crowded beaches of Thailand, the Philippines’ coast is enchanting. “It’s untouched and new as far as the Indian market goes,” says Shubhas Goyal, chairman, Stic Travels. “But the only problem is that there’s no direct flight and there are no promotions as such. Last year we sent about 100 people. This year, there’s been a large number of inquiries,” he adds.

Philippines

Reasonable accommodation is also another attraction here. It’s possible to get five-star accommodation for around $80 to $100 a night. Says Laura Q. Del Rosario, ambassador of the Philippines, “Indians are bound to love shopping there. They can also enjoy the swinging night life. What’s more New Year is a big event celebrated both in the Chinese and American way with much fanfare. ”

The best way to get there is to go to Bangkok and then fly to Manila by a low-cost carrier. Alternatively, it’s also possible to fly via Singapore and hop on to a low-cost carrier like Tiger Air (the flight from Singapore to Manila will cost about 100 Singapore dollars).

Why not go much further afield? Jamaica is a great place for well-heeled travellers. A 6-night, 7-day package costs £1,200 including airfare from India, breakfast and sightseeing. What can you do in Jamaica? First there are the beaches. Then you can head inland and take a trip to the Milk River Bath in St. Elizabeth or to the Blue Mountain. You could also pamper yourself at the famous natural therapeutic spas. Sunil Gupta, COO, Kuoni India, says Jamaica is a niche market, but popular nonetheless.”

Korea too, is also slowly but steadily gaining popularity. Seoul is the only region that offers skiing options in the Asian region. Gupta whose company also sells packages for Korea says, “It’s only a matter of time till Korea will catch on with Indians.”

Away from the beaches, Nile cruises are popular says Vikram Madhok, MD, Abercrombie & Kent India. Also, Egypt is now within reach for mid-range travellers. “Today, there are multiple offerings ranging from $100 to $300 a night per person,” he says.

Route map

Indigo, the low cost airline with many ambitious plans up its sleeve, has just added to its route network. And the good news is that it has added the Calcutta-Mumbai route to its rosters. The airline has taken delivery of its fourth Airbus A320 aircraft and has pressed the plane into service between Calcutta, Mumbai, Nagpur and Vadodara on a daily basis. The aircraft is now flying daily on the Mumbai-Nagpur- Calcutta route (and back again) as well as the Mumbai-Vadodara-Delhi sector (and back). The introductory fares on these routes are tempting: now you can travel on the Mumbai-Calcutta route for Rs 1,749 and between Nagpur and Calcutta for Rs 1,249. A Mumbai-Vadodara ticket costs Rs 1,495 while Vadodara-Delhi costs Rs 1,875. Travel between Mumbai and Delhi is for Rs 2,125 and Mumbai-Nagpur for just Rs 999. For more go to www.goindigo.in

With four airplanes in its fleet, IndiGo now serves Calcutta, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Guwahati, Imphal, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune and Vadodara. What’s more, IndiGo intends to have six aircraft by the end of 2006 and an additional nine next year. This will take the IndiGo fleet size to 15 by the end of 2007. Talking about big plans, IndiGo proposes to connect some 30 cities by 2010 with a fleet of about 40 A320s.