A cruise down the Nile, a trip to a Turkish hammam and an exploration of the Acropolis. Calcuttans are succumbing to the charms of exotic Egypt, Greece and Turkey this Puja.

But not at the expense of Thailand, Malaysia and other draws in Southeast Asia. Even Bangladesh and Nepal next door are pulling in city tourists.

“A trend has emerged this year. There are lots of bookings for Egypt, Greece and Turkey. Many are travelling in groups,” says a Gulf Air official in Calcutta.

According to him, bookings for the new destinations have gone up by nearly 70 per cent in comparison with last year. “While most bookings are for a combined package of the three countries, some groups are going only to Cairo.”

Chairman (east) of Travel Agents Federation of India Anil Punjabi echoes him: “Egypt and Greece are popular choices this year and we are getting several inquiries every day. With peace making a comeback in Nepal, Kathmandu is finding favour once again. But not many are going to the US or the UK due to security concerns and fear of hassles at the airports.”

An Indian airline spokesperson mentions a rush for tickets to Kathmandu and Bangkok during the Puja fortnight (end of September to first week of October). “We expect full occupancy,” he asserts.

Among domestic destinations, flights to Jaipur, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad will record a good passenger load factor, he predicts.

Thai Airways officials claim full occupancy on flights to Bangkok during Puja. “Thailand is ever-popular with tourists, as one gets visa on arrival,” is the explanation.

Closer home, many are hopping over to Bangladesh. “We have 80 per cent load factor on flights to Dhaka, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar during Puja. Compared with the same period last year, there has been a 30 per cent rise in passengers,” says Arindam Chakladar, senior sales officer of GMG Airlines, which launched operations to Calcutta last year.

On Singapore Airlines, Calcuttans are heading for New Zealand and Australia, apart from the island state.