Patna, April 27: Shopping at the new malls in the city is an exciting experience for the capital’s residents. But for some of them, what’s on offer at home is not good enough. So, they are catching a flight to Singapore or Bangkok to indulge in shopping with a dollop of adventure.

For others, shopping is not the only reason they go on holidays. Skiing, adventure sports or just the lazy sunsets on the beach — Patna residents are giving the desi destinations a miss and flying out over the seas to international locales with family and friends for their holidays.

For them, nothing is too far: the snow-covered Swiss Alps, the air-conditioned streets of Singapore or the brightly lit nightlife of Hong Kong, it all adds up to make the perfect weekend.

“Indian destinations are good but we wanted our holidays to be special,” said Priya Verma, a homemaker.

She added: “Bangkok — the capital of Thailand — seemed like a great option for our small five-day trip. It was economical as well.

“The best thing about Bangkok is that it is a shopper’s paradise,” chuckled Verma.

While European destinations like Italy or Switzerland may pinch a little too much to the pocket, Mauritius, Bangkok and Pattaya are just perfect, as they are economical.

“The demand for planned international holiday packages has increased by almost 25 per cent in the past two years with Europe, Malaysia and Thailand topping the list,” said Geetesh Lohia, an employee of Rajiv Kamal Agencies, an authorised agency for Cox and Kings.

“In the past two years, more and more people from the middle-income group have come forward to plan a holiday abroad. They have a fixed budget, which they do not wish to exceed. So, South-East Asia scores over Europe among the masses,” said Kaushlendra Kumar, owner of Axis Travels.

While many plan visits to foreign shores to take a break from their mundane routine, others design such innovative outings as “second” honeymoons.

“Nowadays, we are catering to an increased number of elderly couples in Patna who wish to go on a second honeymoon on their 25th marriage anniversary. Such couples usually opt for exotic locales. So we offer special honeymoon packages for them as well,” added Kaushlendra.

Travel agents, too, are coming up with innovative packages to attract tourists.

“Two-way tickets, sightseeing, accommodation and breakfast are included in our packages. However, the cost of these planned holidays depends largely on the hotels the customer chooses. A five-star accommodation would obviously cost more. In our Singapore and Malaysia packages, we also include travel on a cruise liner. It is once in a lifetime experience and great fun for the travellers,” said U.N. Mishra, chief executive, Jatak Travels.