Cashing In During The Monsoons

The monsoon season are increasingly becoming popular amongst tourists as an ideal phase to venture into specialised monsoon holidays and getaways.

The monsoon period is also a good time for Ayurvedic massage. Kerala is the destination that offers monsoon rejuvenation packages that are available at various resorts at affordable price. During the monsoon months special rituals are also observed by the fisher folks accompanied by their musicians. Summer break on beaches of Kerala, Goa and Tamilnadu, are also great holiday options. Goa can be reached by the Konkan Railway that passes through tunnel arched bridges, picturesque stations. The hills can also be explored with the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, KalKa-Shimla, Matheran Hill Railway.

During the summer holidays one enjoys the cruising experience over the placid backwaters in Kerala, lake holidays in Nainital, Kodai, Ooty. Island holidays are extremely popular amongst the tourists. Andamans continue to be relatively

bably the most famous period for getaways and holidays especially for those residing in cities and metros. The climatic conditions during the summers compel people to inquire about cooler regions and destinations for a holiday or for just a break from the summer heat.

Regions blessed with natural splendours such as the mountains and the sea are popular holiday options. When it comes to the having a choice of hill stations, there are a number of popular hill stations in India. Tourists who are a part of the northern belt have a wide variety of hill stations to choose from namely, Shimla, Kullu Manali, Dalhousie, Chamba, Dharamshala and others. The hill stations within the state of Himachal Pradesh (HP) are also quite affordable. The hill stations have a special charm attached to them. The panorama that the hill stations reflect are breath-taking, coupled with unique sights of the local life and village culture. Shopping at the local joints for peculiar local artifacts and eateries are also part of the unique experience. The HP hill stations prove to be excellent getaway options. For those to carve for adventure, the journey through the Rohtang pass is worth experiencing. One can also go to Leh via Keylong and Jespa through snow covered passes. Water sports, river rafting, trout fishing are the value additions during the summer seasons.

The southern region too have some famous hill stations especially in the Nilgiri region such as Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri and Kodaikanal. Many also look to the east visiting places such as Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Sikkim. These mountains are unparalleled in their beauty and the backdrops of snow capped peaks is a real delight with varied natural resources. These Himalayan destinations offer lots of trekking opportunities and summer months are the right time to undertake trekking tours. In these regions the tourists get the opportunity to enjoy the traditional folk culture, food habits, religious ceremonies etc. These hill areas also offer excellent routes for serious adventure hikers.

The hill stations of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim are also very unique and unexplored. The mountains here provide the loftiest peaks of the world and totally different in terms of its panoramic beauty and has a lot of variety to it. Here the trekkers can see the seat of Buddhist culture in the monasteries, stupas housing the remains of the Buddhist spiritual leaders, worshipping chambers, prayer rooms and dormitories of Buddhist Lamas. The walls of the monasteries are elaborately painted. The rooms contain images and statues of the deities and Buddhas. Flickering butter lamps and burning incense add to their magical ambience. There are Thangka Paintings, lot of silver, porcelain, brocade and hand knitted articles. All these presents a perfect reflections of the social and religious beliefs of the inhabitants. All these hill stations also offer exciting holiday activities like rock climbing, lesson in carpet weaving, visit weekly market or river rafting etc.

For those who have a passion for the sea, India has a whole lot of attractive beaches to offer. Monsoon packages are also available that are designed and offered by state governments such as Goa, Kerala, Tamilnadu. “Beat the Heat and enjoy the monsoon” is the common theme while selling these packages. During the summer and the monsoon seasons there are a number of special deals and offers that are announced in the market, which during the peak season would be expensive. Hotels also offer 35 per cent to 50 per cent discount and airline tickets are also available at a discounted price during the seasons.

The author is the regional director, government of India, ministry of Tourism, Indiatourism, Mumbai.