It seems like the Karnataka bandh call given by various Kannada and farmer activist groups on September 29 hasn’t had much effect on the travel plans of those from Bengaluru during the long weekend stretching between September 28 and October 2. While a few families have postponed their vacation plans to avoid getting stuck in commotions, most are continuing with their pre-planned itineraries which were made weeks ago.
“We have not received any cancellations so far due to the bandh. As it is a long weekend, families are getting together and booking packages and going by bus. We cannot tell them that we would not be able to provide buses as bookings have already been made. Hence, travel plans have not been affected so far,” said Mahantesh from Tejas Tours and Travels
However, the looming uncertainty over the tensions between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have made some travellers apprehensive about crossing borders. A tour operator from New Hoysala Tours and Travels in Yeshwanthpur said, “While Ooty, Kodaikanal, Madurai, Rameshwaram, and other destinations are favourites during this season, people from Karnataka are scared to go to Tamil Nadu as they fear that vehicles going from Karnataka might face problems there. Even those coming from Tamil Nadu to Karnataka also have the same fears.”
He continued, “While upper-middle-class families are not changing their plans, those from the lower middle class have postponed their trips (as hotels do not provide a refund in case of cancellations) to a later date.” Most tour operators also said that it is unlikely for tourism to be affected in both states.
“We already sent some of our vehicles to destinations like Pondicherry, Kanyakumari, and Kodaikanal as many preferred to leave on Wednesday night itself. Only on the day of bandh, most people are hesitant to leave. Such tourists will leave either in the night hours on Friday or early morning on Saturday,” said Ramu from Sri Ranga Tours and Travels in Bommanahalli. “The bookings were very good for this weekend, and it had started 10 to 15 days earlier only. We are assuring people that there will be no inconveniences during the travel,” Ramu added.
On Wednesday evening, with many people leaving the city to travel, the exit points in the City witnessed traffic snarls. “As some of my cousins had come from the U.S., my family had booked a small tour to Ooty – Kodaikanal via a private bus for this weekend about two months ago. As we will start on Thursday night and come back Monday afternoon, we are going ahead with the plan as the bandh is only on Friday,” said Vasudev. S, a resident of Talaghattapura.
Apart from Ooty, Kodaikanal and Wayanad in the neighbouring States, Kodagu, Chikkamagalur, Sakaleshpura, Gokarna, and Murdeshwara are the preferred choices for domestic travel. “Even though they might not go out of the State, most people will make use of the long weekend to travel domestically to Sakaleshpura or Kodagu or Mysuru. Most properties across the State have received good bookings for this period,” said K. Syama Raju, president, Karnataka Tourism Society. Sources said many properties have also hiked prices during the long weekend.
The properties of Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) are also running on 100% occupancy while tour packages are running on 80% to 85% occupancy, revealed G. Jagadeesha, managing director, KSTDC.
In the meantime, some private tour operators also reported that there was a slight uptick in the number of international bookings with Dubai, Turkey, and Singapore – Malaysia being the preferred destinations for travellers.
