Frankfurt - Grey. Cold. Damp. Unpleasant. That, to most people, is a rainy day in central Europe. But the rainy season has its charm in Asia, which is then greener, quieter and less expensive for tourists than usual. Some people even see trips to the Far East during the rainy season as an insider tip. A holiday in the rain is an insider tip? That is how it is treated in online forums, at any rate. "I have often been to Bali during the
rainy season. For me it's the loveliest time," wrote a tourist named Brigit at Holidaycheck.de, a German internet platform for travel reviews and opinions.
Is it crazy to book a holiday guaranteed to have wet weather instead of plenty of sunshine? "Not at all," remarked Rolf-Dieter Scheerer, an Asia specialist for Gebeco, a German travel agency. "For one thing, flights and hotels are much cheaper in the off-season. You also save money at the holiday destination." Total expenses are easily several hundred euros lower, he said.
"And it's naturally less crowded," added Antje Guenther, spokesperson for the Frankfurt-based travel agency Meier's Weltreisen.
What is more, nature shows its true splendour in the rainy season. "It's a lot greener than usual," noted Suwalai Pinpradab, director of Thailand's tourism office in Frankfurt.
In Asia, the rainy season is hardly synonymous with foul weather. "Skies are generally blue in the morning, there are heavy showers in the afternoon, and in the evening you can usually watch the sun set," said Eckhard Moeller, who works for the German Weather Service.
Rainy-season travel is not for the masses, however. Several years ago Gebeco discontinued"Raindrops," a programme plugging trips to Asia during the rainy season. "There was simply too little demand," Scheerer explained.
"If you are planning a beach holiday, it's the wrong time," Guenther said. "On the other hand, there are culturally minded tourists who don't care if it rains intermittently."
Rainy-season travellers should have some time to spare in the event that a whole week is rained out. Those who do not book all accommodation in advance are free to dodge the monsoon. "If the weather is bad on the west coast of Thailand, for example, it might be quite different on the east coast," Moeller pointed out.
Conditions depend on the region. Western India during the monsoon is not recommended for any tourists since the area around Mumbai is deluged. The rainy season in the largely arid Indian state of Rajasthan, by contrast, can be the most pleasant time of year, according to the Indian tourism office in Frankfurt.
Unforeseen obstacles to tourists are more likely in the rainy season, though. "A street may be closed during a tour and you can't proceed," Guenther said.
Germany's Travel Medicine Centre (CRM) warned that the rainy season carried a higher risk of diseases such as dengue fever and malaria. "There are more mosquitoes around and they transmit these diseases," noted physician Bettina Floerchinger.
She said that mosquito repellent, mosquito nets, malaria prophylaxis tablets and long-sleeved shirts were especially important during the monsoon. So, as the saying goes, there is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes.
