Bangalore: Travelling overseas has become cheaper than ever with Rs. 75,000 likely to buy you a short tour package to London, Paris and back, with enough time for sightseeing and duty-free shopping. And with an itinerary that includes Indian food.

Business travel has increased over the past five to six years with even junior level information technology professionals sent on projects with client companies abroad. This has encouraged them travel later on leisure, perhaps with families. They know that travel is not that difficult and there are rail and road travel packages, say leading travel agents in the city.

While the package tour concept has been there for years, the prices have become more attractive now. Faced with heavy losses after the 9/11 scare and restrictions on Asians visiting some Western countries, new travel packages that cover places such as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand/ Indonesia, have gained popularity, travel companies say. "Hong Kong is being promoted now in a big way with commercials on television channels and visa restriction for tourists likely to be made easier. The former British colony has always been a great shopping destination, next only to Singapore and Dubai," says a travel agent.

Events such as the Dubai Shopping Festival, when prices of gold jewellery come down, and similar festivals in Singapore draw many Indian tourists. The tour operators book hotel rooms in bulk and pass on part of the discounts they get to those buying the travel packages. Indian food is available almost anywhere in Singapore and in larger Malaysian cities such as Kuala Lumpur.

Sri Lanka has emerged as a major tourist attraction with a short travelling time for many from Bangalore. "Sri Lanka Tourist Board has taken up several promotional campaigns, highlighting attractions with a special attraction for South Indian tourists," a spokesperson said.

Apart from shopping in Colombo and visits to the tea plantations around Kandy, the island nation offers great bargains in semi-precious stones either by themselves or on jewellery. The security situation is reported to have improved and visits to wildlife sanctuaries are arranged. More than 40 per cent of tourists visiting Sri Lanka are from India.

The travel agencies operating here, some of them part of global chains, estimate at least 50,000 to 75,000 people from Bangalore went abroad as tourists last year and this figure is expected to exceed one lakh this year. This is just for those who took the tour packages. Those travelling on their own may be half as many. Exact figures are difficult to come by because most of the consulates issuing tourist visas are not located here.

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