Travellers from Coimbatore head for countries not much frequented

COIMBATORE: Globetrotters from the city have a new set of destinations to explore - they prefer Ipoh, Kunming, Chiang Mai and Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok and Pattaya, and Finland, Russia, Turkey and other Scandinavian countries to London, Paris and

Interlaken

in

Switzerland

when it comes to Europe. Travel agents say Coimbatorians, who have become seasoned

travellers

, want specific experiences or exclusive locations in a country, rather than just country hopping.

Travel agents, specializing in international travel, say they are seeing a marked increase in the number of people travelling abroad and the number of visits. “There is at least 10%-15% increase in the volume of people travelling abroad,” says V C Krishnarajh, president of Travel Agents’ Association of Coimbatore.

P Ganesh, managing director of Express Holidays, feels people’s mindset has changed. “Earlier, people wanted to buy land or jewellery with even the smallest savings, but that mentality is changing. They now want to buy an experience and memories that come along with it.”

Flight tickets to destinations in Asia are available from Rs 18,000 to Rs 30,000 and those in Europe from Rs 35,000 from Kochi and Bengaluru and it is one of the reasons why travellers prefer unexplored destinations in these parts of the world, says a recent study by popular travel search engine Kayak. “Websites like Airbnb.com, which offers cheap homestays in almost every country, have made it easy for families and friends to plan budget trips,” says Uttara Ganesh, an IT professional in the city.

The city-based Express Holidays had recently organized a New Year trip for a group of 10 businessmen and seasoned travellers to Finland. “They wanted a relaxed trip to enjoy the snow and the night life during winter in a country, where many of them had never been to,” says Ganesh. Russia and Turkey are also popular options for family trips and incentive trips.

“Companies prefer trips that could be done within the budget of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.2 lakh a person for five nights to six nights. So, Moscow and Turkey with hot

springs

and hot air balloons, and exotic Istanbul are popular options,” says Viraj D, a human resource professional with a Hyderabad-based company, which has a branch in the city.

Among Asian countries, Vietnam and Cambodia top the list while Bali and Hong Kong seem to have lost their exclusivity. “Only first-time travellers prefer cities like Bangkok, Dubai, Singapore and Malaysia, while others prefer Japan and Maldives. Or they want places such as Kunming in China, Ipoh and Penang in Malaysia and Chiang Mai in Thailand, instead of the routine Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket,” says Viraj.

According to Vishnu Vasanth Kumar, executive director of Emperor

Traveline

, a growing number of youngsters are requesting for Eurasian countries like Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrygystan. “These are four to five nights packages which start from Rs 50,000. People either fly out from New Delhi or Sharjah.”