‘Hotel rates in India are a scam’: Investor Basant Maheshwari triggers holiday cost debate
Planning a getaway within India? You might want to check your passport instead. From Manali to Mumbai, the cost of holidaying at home is now brushing shoulders with global hotspots—minus the international flight. Ace investor Basant Maheshwari summed up the sentiment bluntly: “If you can ignore the airfare, a holiday in India costs almost as much as one in a foreign country. Hotel rates in India are a scam!”
Behind the soaring bills lies a deeper, structural problem—one that’s reshaping how India vacations, eats, and lives.
Basant Maheshwari isn’t alone in sounding the alarm. Finance educator and Wisdom Hatch founder Akshat Shrivastava echoed the frustration on X, writing: “Go to Manali, Shimla — it’s more expensive than Georgia. Go to Mumbai, it’s more expensive than Dubai. Most major holiday destinations in India are super expensive. Why? Because our real estate prices are crazy. And it is unlikely to go down.”
One user responding to his post captured the everyday impact of this price spiral: ₹400 for a cup of tea at the airport, ₹1,000 for a pizza at a mall, ₹150-per-hour parking, and a ₹100 crore price tag for a 3 BHK flat. The verdict? “Everyone needs to recover their real estate investments or rentals.”
That recovery is hitting tourists hard. From modest guesthouses to high-end resorts, accommodation rates have soared as property owners scramble to cover ballooning costs. Restaurants, retail shops, and attractions in tourist hubs are also passing on rising expenses to consumers.
The data tells the full story. Property rates in tourist-heavy zones average ₹21,600 per sq ft—more than 150% higher than non-tourist regions, where rates hover around ₹8,500. In Ayodhya, real estate prices have surged tenfold in recent years. Bengaluru and Hyderabad have seen nearly 90% appreciation in some pockets since 2019.
According to Colliers, India’s real estate market is projected to hit $1 trillion by 2030. While that might excite investors, it’s forcing travellers to reconsider their options. As things stand, a foreign holiday might not just be more exotic—it could be the cheaper deal.
