Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The tourism sector has started witnessing a slowdown after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to avoid foreign trips amid the current situation.
Travel agencies and tour operators say panic cancellations and uncertainty among travellers have led to a noticeable dip in international travel demand.
Travel operators said rumours and speculation surrounding the situation have created panic among people, prompting many to cancel or postpone their overseas vacations.
According to tour operators, travellers are hesitant to make advance payments for hotels and tour packages due to fears of losses if plans are cancelled later.
In one such case, a 16-member group planning to travel to Thailand on May 29 had almost completed its booking process. However, following the Prime Minister’s appeal, the travellers expressed uncertainty over whether to proceed with the trip.
The group decided to go ahead only with flight bookings while putting hotel and other reservations on hold to avoid possible financial losses, as hotel bookings are generally non-refundable.
In another instance, a group tour for Georgia scheduled for June was cancelled entirely, with travellers citing the prevailing situation and the sudden rise in airfare as major concerns.
Kartik Jain of Tour Uncle said flight fares have increased sharply in recent days. “People are cancelling even ongoing travel plans. Fuel charges have gone up, because of which a flight ticket that earlier cost around Rs 50,000 is now costing nearly Rs 70,000,” he said.
Domestic Tourism Sees Uptick
A supervisor at a prominent online booking platform in Madhya Pradesh said that while international bookings have declined, domestic travel demand has started increasing. “Since the Prime Minister’s statement, people have been cancelling international bookings. However, domestic bookings have gone up. Most new travel plans are now being scheduled after June rather than immediately,” the official said.
