Surging hotel and flight costs cast a shadow on Christmas and New Year getaways plans

As the holiday season gets closer with Christmas and New Year approaching, many people from all over the country are already booking hotels in various cities. But, the prices of luxury hotels in popular tourist spots like Udaipur, Ooty, Mysore, Goa, and Kodagu have shot up significantly, ranging from Rs 75,000 to over Rs 1 lakh.

This means that if you're planning a holiday in these places, you'll need to spend more money on accommodation during this time. Hotel prices in major cities have gone up by at least 10 to 15 per cent compared to last year.

Travel planning companies say that a lot of people have booked luxury hotels for weddings in cities like Jaipur, Udaipur, Bikaner, and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, as well as in Goa and Ooty. From December 5 to 15, about 65 per cent of hotel rooms have been booked for weddings. Also, from January 2nd to January 15th, many people are planning week-long vacations during the winter season, and many have already booked their travel.

Since December 24 is a Sunday and December 25 is Christmas, creating a long weekend, those planning to travel during this week may have to spend a minimum of Rs 10,000 to a maximum of Rs 23,000 for a double room for some popular destinations.

And it's not just hotel prices; air travel has also become more expensive. For example:

- Udaipur: Rs 23,631

- Mysuru: Rs 22,842

- Kochi: Rs 16,118

- Jaipur: Rs 12,000

- Delhi: Rs 12,000

- Goa: Rs 11,746

- Bangalore: Rs 10,000

In cities known for tourism, three-star hotels now charge a minimum of Rs 10,000 per night, while rates for five-star hotels have gone up from Rs 35,000 to Rs 1 lakh per night. As more people look for holiday accommodations, it's important to plan and budget for festive-season getaways accordingly.