Budget travel goes for a toss as Varanasi Hotel rates Spike Up To 2.5 Lakhs on the Eve of Dev Diwali

Varanasi is a dream destination for travellers across the world. From backpackers to seekers of spiritual experiences, every kind of traveler can be found seeking spiritual peace or meditating along the banks of the holy river Ganga throughout the year.However,a trip here during Dev Deepawali, a festival celebrated on the full moon night, fifteen days after Diwali, takes on a whole new meaning. Tourists across the globe look forward to witnessing the celebrations that light up the city every year.

Celebrated on Kartik Poornima, or the fifteenth lunar day of the Hindu calendar month, Karthik, Dev Diwali is a time when Varanasi truly seems like the Gods have descended upon the ghats. Over a million earthen lamps are lit covering a wide span from Ravidas Ghat at the southern end to Rajghat in the north. However, a visit during this festive season comes at a steep price with hotels in Varanasi becoming more than four or five times more expensive than usual. Expecting the hotels to get sold out quickly, tourists have pre-booked 30 per cent of the hotels one year prior to this year’s Deep Deepawali falling on 12th November 2019.

Breaking all records of price hikes to date, the cost of a room in one Nadesar hotel soared to Rs. 2.5 lakhs as the normal price of a room during this festive season in Varanasi ranges between Rs.80 to 90 thousand. To add more value to the package, hotels also offer a sightseeing package along with VIP darshan to the tourists. In line with this, hotels at Darbhanga Ghat which normally have an asking price of Rs.30 to 35 thousand have increased prices up to Rs.1.5 lakh. Ramghat hotels will also be charging a quarter of a million rupees on these days against their usual charge of Rs.15000-18000 per night during the offseason.

Whereas at this point,hotel rooms in Shiwala, Sonarpura, Chowk, Bansfatak, Gowdolia, Pandey Haveli and Assi are not even available for prices as high as Rs. 10-15 thousand. As tourists book in advance to avoid any last-minute hassles, they end up hiking up the rates due to a low demand-supply ratio.

The highest demand is for the hotels situated on ghats as they are a prime location for the festivities and rituals. As the popularity of the festival grows, local transportation also gets sold out three months in advance.

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