Cox & Kings is offering a special flight that would let enthusiasts witness the spectacle from up close for Rs 29,000-79,000. Says Cox & Kings executive director Arup Sen, "This is the first time we have attempted such a trip. We already have a number of bookings."

The three-hour flight will take off from New Delhi, fly towards and hover over Gaya during the duration of the eclipse. The aircraft will intercept the middle of the eclipse shadow at 41,000 feet. Those taking the right side windows will get to see the `sun side', while those sitting on the left side windows will see the `earth side' and the shadow on earth, Mr Sen adds.

Eclipses have caught the fancy of travellers from African and Western countries for long, but it has never before been a tourist's delight of such measure in India. The opportunity of drawing tourists with a six-and-ahalf minute, once-in-a-lifetime eclipse has been irresistible for travel firms, which are adding the spectacle to their regular tours.

Says Rajendra Singh, director of Incredible Real India Tour: "We have clubbed the eclipse with our regular tour packages to make them more interesting and exciting. We never thought it would turn out to be such a hit." The company will organise a special viewing in Varanasi for which regular travellers will not be charged extra.

In India, the eclipse will be visible in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh.

If the current figures of foreign tourist arrivals ( FTA) are any indication, the debilitating effects of the monthslong economic slowdown and the terror attack in Mumbai in November are wearing off.

The latest FTA figure for the month of May stood at 295,124 people, which is almost on par with the figure of 300,840 in May 2008, a marginal decline of only 1.9 per cent. The FTA in May 2007 stood at 277,000 lakh people.

Between January 1 and April 30 this year, 1.83 million international tourists came to India, marginally lesser than the 2 million- plus arrivals during the same period last year.

As a tourism ministry official points out, " There has been a gradual improvement in the month- on- month growth rate of FTA in May 2009 (- 1.9 per cent) as compared to April 2009 (- 3.5 per cent), March 2009 (- 12.9 per cent) and January 2009 (- 17.5 per cent)." Further raising hope has been foreign exchange earnings ( FEE) from tourist arrivals in May -- Rs 3,249 crore as compared to Rs 2,988 crore in May last year, an increase of 8.7 per cent. Earnings in April had risen a modest 7.6 per cent over the corresponding figure last year. What's more, the industry had negative growth in previous months compared to 2008 figures.

Interestingly, while forex earnings in terms of rupees have gone up, the figures in dollars continue to show a decrease.

Source: Mail Today Hope Floats For Tourism Sector After May Surprise

Like Pereira, hundreds of other vacationers are being wooed by premium hotel operators this monsoon season with tempting offers, about 15-20 per cent cheaper than the regular rates.

Monsoon time for hotels is usually the lacklustre interval in a year, when room rates head south. With the hospitality sector still grappling with the impact of a general slowdown, many top hotel operators are offering free nights, discounts and budgetary packages to maintain occupancy.

Hotel Leelaventure, for instance, is offering a stay at its Kovalam property for just Rs 3,300 a night, as part of its monsoon getaway package. This is in addition to enticing offers in its other properties.

Premier companies like Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, Oberoi Hotel & Resorts, ITC Welcome Group and Hyatt are throwing in a free night stay for every stay of at least two or three nights.

Marriott International Inc, meanwhile, is giving Rs 3,000 back to the customer, which could be spent on availing facilities within the hotel like the spa, gymnasium, lunch or dinner, among others.

Source: Business-standard Hoteliers Try To Counter Slump With Special Offers

"The X-visa holders would get inner line permits," he told ET. The fee for the proposed visa would be slightly lower than the normal tourist visas. The proposed visa holders can also stay for a longer period.

The government is also looking at opening more peaks in the Himalayas for trekking, a bid to satiate rising appetite of foreign mountaineers to scale new heights in remote corners of the country. Trekkers could now also use global positioning system (GPS) and satellite phones (currently banned) in the forbidden ranges falling in Indo-Pak, Indo-Tibet and Indo-China borders, which cover picturesque sites in Ladakh, J&K and Himachal Pardesh.

The tourism ministry has sent a note to the home ministry proposing to allow such a visa for foreign mountaineers. The policy is, at present being vetted by the ministry of home, which would look into the security aspects of allowing such a move. At present, tourists are required to seek special permission from government authorities for trekking certain peaks, which normally takes long time owing to tourists being subject to retinue of mandatory approvals from both centre and state.

The tourism ministry is of the view that the government should be liberal in allowing mountaineering visa as it has been in the case of medical visas. In a move to promote adventure tourism in the country the ministry has proposed to do away with duties on import of adventure sports related equipment. Meanwhile, the government is looking into the possibility of opening up more peaks for foreign tourists. The matter is being considered by the home and defence ministries.

"There are restrictions for tourists visiting certain mountain peaks. For example, tourists are not allowed to use GPS/satellite phones while trekking in the peaks. One can imagine what can happen if there is an accident. Without such phones, the adventure could be life-threatening for a tourist," an official who did not wish to be identified said.

There is certainly something to cheer about for air travellers. State-owned national carrier Air India has decided to cut fares by as much as 70% on 35 sectors, starting Monday.

The massive cut in fares will take place despite a 6.7% increase in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices last week. Even Air India's direct competitors such as Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways have hiked fares by around 8% two days ago while low-cost carrier SpiceJet said it will increase fares in a few days.

A senior Air India official confirmed the fare cuts to ET and said Air India wants to increase its passenger load factor (PLF) to boost bottom lines. The load factors for domestic carriers dropped to around 65% in March from a level of 73% in February.

"The reduced fares have no hidden conditions like being for a limited offer period. Passengers have to buy their tickets 10 days in advance through the website, travel agents or the company's sales offices. These reductions in fares are mainly on tier-II routes connecting Mumbai and it is over and above our offer on the summer fares," the senior official added.

Source: Economic Times Air India slashes fares by up to 70%

For one, hotels are promising a 10-15% cheaper holiday this year compared with last year. This discount is over and above the recent drop in hotel room tariffs by 15-20% across India. As Neelu Singh, COO, ezeego1.com, a leading online travel facilitator, puts it, "If you give customers a good deal, they will definitely travel." A random comparison of the current summer packages with those in the past couple of years proves this conclusively. Take The Metropolitan Hotel, which is offering a 15% discount on the "best available rate" if booked in advance. This means a deluxe room at Rs 6,500 a night under dynamic pricing will cost Rs 5,525. Compare this with an overnight package of Rs 12,999 in 2007. Even without breakfast and a couple's spa treatment that the latter included, it would be more expensive. Then there is the Hari Niwas hotel in Jammu, which is offering a twonight package with breakfast and one other meal starting at Rs 3,500. In June 2007, it began at Rs 5,500 with breakfast.

Even luxury hotels are not immune to the concession phenomenon. 'You may have to downsize many things this year... but thankfully not your summer holiday', claims the Leela Group. Keeping this in mind, it is offering cheaper getaways starting from Rs 1,950 per person per night at its Kovalam property and from Rs 2,250 per head a night at Goa. This offer is effective from 16 April and is applicable for over two-night stays. Says Biswajit Chakraborty, general manager, The Leela Kempinski, Kovalam: "Since launching these packages 10 days ago, we have had 200 bookings."

Similarly, travel facilitators are aggressively competing for your travel budget. Says Karan Anand, head, relationships and supplier management, Cox & Kings India: "We realise that travellers will down-trade and will not be able to afford beyond a price point, so we have come up with packages accordingly." For the individual traveller, Cox & Kings has a weeklong holiday to Europe for Rs 56,990, with air fare. Just five months ago, it had introduced a more costly sixnight tour to Europe for Rs 1,48,686, where a companion could travel free. The tour operator also has a 50% cash-back scheme on group holidays to select destinations like the US. Similarly, Ezeego1 has just launched a 10% cash-back scheme on Indian railway tickets, bus tickets and car bookings. Anand has one last tip--check out unexplored destinations. "Chances are they will be cheaper," he says.

The summer air fares introduced by most of the airlines make the deal sweeter. Over and above the attractive advance booking fares, which are substantially cheaper than the last-minute bookings, several airlines, such as SpiceJet, IndiGo and Jet Airways, have done away with the fuel surcharge for select sectors. This typically ranges from Rs 1,900 to Rs 2,700. Though the airline turbine fuel prices were hiked recently, industry experts say that the low fare bonanza will last at least till the end of summer.

Foreign airlines too are rolling out the red carpet. Could you imagine taking a round trip from Mumbai to Dubai for under Rs 12,000 in early 2008? That's exactly what Air India is offering now. To put the value proposition in perspective, a round trip from Delhi to Kullu on Kingfisher Red costs Rs 15,777. High-end airlines like the Emirates too are announcing special schemes. It has launched a companion offer, whereby passengers booking an economy return ticket will receive a complimentary return ticket.

Why is the travel industry going all out to woo people? Because the period from April to July is typically lean as far as foreign tourists are concerned. On the other hand, given school holidays, it is usually a peak season for domestic travellers. Since the industry can't bet on easy pickings this time, it has introduced special schemes. The good days, unfortunately, won't last forever. Says Chakraborty: "We are being cautious right now, and hence, our special rates. But we do not foresee a dip in the in-bound winter travellers." When demand is high, prices are bound to skyrocket. So make the most of these unheard of bargains.

Uncommon destinations, the affordable way

The destination: Tirthan, Himachal Pradesh (550 km from Delhi)

Why go there: It's spectacularly scenic, yet free from the madding crowds.

What to do: If you enjoy long walks and treks, there are a lot of hills to climb all around. Anglers can while away their time baiting trout and the lazy bones can catch up on their sleep. Then there is a range of adventure activities to choose from, be it mountain biking, rappelling or river-crossing.

How to get there: The best way is to take the road if you can face a 13-hour drive. Alternatively, you could fly down to Bhuntar, which is 40 km, or a two-hour drive, from the Tirthan valley.

Where to stay: The Himalayan Trout House is the best place here.

Damage to wallet: The per night cost ranges from Rs 2,000-3,400 per couple, including breakfast and one other meal.