UDAN opens less explored tourist destinations

Chennai: The UDAN scheme intended to make regional connectivity easy has opened up a few less explored tourist destinations.

The scheme has stimulated air connectivity between destinations in a distance of up to 800 km. Among them, Hyderabad-Nanded is the most travelled route, as per a study by Paytm Travel. Mumbai - Nanded also is one of the top routes opened up by UDAN scheme. Nanded in Maharashtra used to be a lesser known tourist destination earlier.

Similarly, Vidyanagar in Karnataka too has become known among tourists. Hyderabad to Vidyanagar is the fifth most travelled UDAN route and Bangalore - Vidyanagar is the sixth most travelled route.

Porbandar is known for being Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace. Its tourism value has gone up in recent times. Mumbai-Porbandar is the fourth most travelled UDAN route.

Further, Hyderabad - Nanded is also one of the top 10 routes that can be travelled by flight for less than Rs 2000. Chennai-Cuddapah is the top sub-Rs 2000 route, followed by Lucknow - Allahabad and Bikaner-Jaipur.

Paytm Travel 2018 also found that flight travelers book their tickets 13 days in advance to avoid last-minute surge in prices. Train travelers usually book their tickets one month in advance. However, there are travelers who opt for last-minute booking with tatkal facility. This takes the average train booking period five days prior to journey. In case of bus travel, travelers generally opt for last-minute booking due to multiple options and availability of tickets.

The data with Paytm shows that booking a flight 28 days in advance provides best savings. Both for flight and bus, Tuesday is the cheapest day to make a booking, while Sunday is the most expensive day.