Casino is the ace in Gujaratis’ travel plans

While choosing their Diwali holiday destination, Gujaratis no longer look for sightseeing pleasure or relaxing on the beach. Their vacation is more about playing cards and throwing a Diwali bash for friends.

This year the preference is clearly for places that have casinos. 

For instance, designer Digvijay Singh said, “This time it seems like a new trend for enthusiastic Gujarati travellers, who are choosing domestic and international destinations based on whether the city has a casino or not. Many of my friends are travelling to Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, and Goa to play cards which they feel is the best way to enjoy this festival of lights.”

Singh added that his friends are also travelling away from home to throw a Diwali bash with music, cards and more.

Tour and travel agents too confirmed the above destinations as most sought after, this Diwali. The VP, Cox and Kings, Sanjeev Chhajer said, “Hong Kong, Macau, Shenjen, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Dubai are the all time favourites for travellers.

However, this year, Australia and New Zealand have gained a lot of prominence, and quite a few travellers are exploring these areas. Bangkok and Sri Lanka have also been included in the list of preferred destinations by people.”

As for domestic travel, Chhajer said, Sasangir and Kutch are gaining prominence. “Besides corporate bookings, families too are exploring these two destinations along with Pushkar, Ajmer and Nainital. Most of the bookings have been done way in advance.”

New Zealand being the preferred destination was also confirmed by MD, Path Finders, Mahendra Vakhari who added, “Besides, New Zealand, people also prefer Bora-Bora Island, France and Italy. However, there are families that prefer to spend this holiday time on a quite private getaway and are opting for private bungalows at Uttaranchal.”

However, leisure manager, Club7 Holidays Pvt Ltd, Palash Roy said that there is a dip in international touring. “As compared to last year, there is around 20% dip in the number of people coming forward for international destinations. But domestic tours are growing as always. This year for Diwali, Darjeeling, Sikkim and Gangtok with private bungalows is most preferred by people.”