new delhi: With nearby tourist getaways easing travel restrictions and the ongoing festive season, more and more residents are ditching the Capital in favour of calmer and more scenic locations. But another reason many residents here are venturing out is to escape the poisonous air. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have both eased restrictions for tourists. Another feature that a lot of hotels, hostels and homestays are providing this year is a strong internet connection, for guests who are working remotely.
Graphic artist Sharmishtha Roy, for example, is looking forward to her week-long vacation to McLeodganj and Dharamshala. "My birthday coincides with Diwali this year, so I have not one but two reasons to take a break and unwind. The work-from-home situation has been quite hectic for the past six months. There's increased pressure at work because no one has a fixed schedule anymore."
The 4Rooms Hotel, a popular boutique property in Gunehar, near Bir Billing, said that in the past couple of weeks, they have seen a consistent increase in the number of bookings and inquiries from people in Delhi-NCR. "We're definitely coming out of the post-lockdown slump. We're getting many calls from people asking for bookings for a weekend or for a week, looking to take a break from their fast-paced city-life and polluted air".
Financial analyst Ayush Sabnavis recently spent 15 days in Jibhi, Himachal Pradesh, without taking a single day off from work. "A couple of my friends were going to Jibhi on a last-minute plan and asked me to tag along. Since I don't have any commitments at the moment and am working remotely, I decided to give it a go. In fact, from what I saw, most people staying there were working remotely and were planning to do so long-term. A couple of techies from Bengaluru were even looking to rent a place there and had already been at the hostel for over a month. The clean air, picturesque location and lack of household chores was a nice break."
Laxman Kumar Chauhan, who manages travel operations at 'Gill Travels' agency in West Delhi said "While they have not received any bookings or inquiries for the group tour packages they offer, interest in hotel bookings has definitely shot up in the past few weeks".