Long weekend: Short vacation spots see tourist surge
Times of India | 25 January 2025
1234 Kolkata: From short vacations and overnight picnics to destination weddings, weekend gateways — like Digha and Santiniketan — and resorts within driving distance of the city are witnessing a sudden surge of tourists as they are determined to make the most of the holiday, starting from Jan 23 (Netaji's birth anniversary) to Jan 26 (Republic Day). Many office-goers have promptly applied for a day-off out of their leave banks on Friday (Jan 24) to converge the holidays into an extended weekend.
For instance, IT professional Sougata Das from Behala drove to Shantiniketan with his family on Thursday morning. "I have put up at a resort. I am having the best of the season. I drive back to Kolkata on Sunday afternoon so that we attend office and school with a refreshed mind from Monday," said Das.
Rangin Basu, a management professional at an MNC in Delhi, said he had planned his trip for the weekend well in advance. Basu utilized the holiday to attend a relative's wedding on Friday. He will head out of the city for an overnight picnic at Mukutmanipur on Saturday and Sunday. Hoteliers at other tourist destinations, too, said their establishments were witnessing a near-full occupancy from Friday. "This is the best time to visit Bolpur because of the wonderful weather. The best quality of date palm jaggery is also available here during this period.It is something that the tourists love to take back in jars. Tourists have already started pouring in good numbers," said Chandranath Banerjee of Bolpur Shantiniketan Hoteliers' Association. Resorts near the city are packed to the capacity.
"The long Republic Day weekend has brought brisk business.Rooms in the resort are fully booked. Besides, there has been a significant surge in picnics and day-outings at the resort. On Republic Day itself, 90% of the rooms are booked," said Subhadip Basu, corporate GM, mall and hospitality, Merlin Group, while speaking about Ibiza The Fern Resort and Spa.
"All our rooms are booked till Sunday. We have a destination wedding taking place in our resort compound, and the majority of the rooms have been booked by the two families," said an official of Hotel Sonar Bangla in Kolaghat.