Offbeat, yet affordable. That’s the trip most travel organizers plan to take you on this season. While most of them insist that recession hasn’t hit their industry and there are many takers for premium holidays, they also add in the same breath that the industry is all set to cater to a growing budget-conscious holiday group.

At the Holiday Summer Sale recently organized by Thomas Cook, focus was on India Holidays for the summer of 2009. “Kashmir is a destination which has emerged to be among the most popular in India,’’ nods Ravi, as he goes through the various packages designed according to personal needs. The Enchanting Kashmir offer for six nights and five days, inclusive of stay, meals and sightseeing and exclusive of air fare is priced at approximately Rs 12,000 per person, with heavy discounts being offered if children are travelling along. The glimpses of Kashmir which takes you through Srinagar, Sonamarg, Gulmarg, Pahalgam in six days, has a four for two offer and is priced at about Rs 15,000. Leh-Ladakh, Himachal, best of Uttarakhand, Darjeeling, Gangtok, Tshangu Lake (Eastern Himalaya), Ooty-Kodaikanal and Kerala, are the other hot spots this summer.

Those of you who are pressed for both time and moolah, there are short breaks to Goa, Puri, Darjeeling, Munnar. Designed for three days, the prices are between Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000. As far as foreign locales go, Europe has many takers, but it’s Sri Lanka that’s being lapped up. Starting at Rs 11,000, you can choose from a variety of options as far as sightseeing and number of days go. With many hotels offering excellent services, operators suggest that you don’t really need to go for five-star properties, but choose four or three-star properties with almost the same luxuries. “One customized offer that we have is an all-inclusive eight-night tour of Malaysia, Singapore, Bangkok for about 68,000,’’ Ravi is also promoting scenic Austria, with attractions like sound of music tour, Swarovski Crystal museum visit et al.