Domestic and international tourists are cancelling travel booking and hotel reservations; Maharashtra is the worst hit
Domestic and international tourists are cancelling travel booking and hotel reservations; Maharashtra is the worst hit
The H1N1 scare is keeping tourists from visiting places, registering a drastic drop in flight bookings to both domestic and international destinations.
H1N1 scare seems to be spreading wider, with the nation-wide death toll crossing a total of seven, including a casualty in previously unaffected Chennai.
Compared to July, air ticket bookings from Bangalore to domestic destinations including Aurangabad and Pune has dropped by 40 percent, while bookings to international destinations such as Malaysia and Singapore has dropped by 50 percent this month, say operators. Operators in major cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Pune too have not been spared.
'Badly hit'
The tourism industry, which grew by over 15 percent last April, is seeing a sharp decline since May, when H1N1 flu broke out in India. "We are badly hit," said BA Amarnathan, member, Travel Agents' Federation of India (TAFI). "Tourists and visitors to other countries as well as states like Maharashtra are scared to travel. While some have cancelled their bookings, many are postponing their travel plans."
Tour operators, who used to book flights for at least thousand couples from Bangalore to countries like Singapore and Malaysia for tours, including honeymoon trips, have got far fewer bookings this month.
"Bookings to international destinations have dropped drastically," said Asha Kiran S, MD, Matha Air Travels.
"Honeymoon trips are being cancelled due to the flu scare. Most of our customers are postponing their plans.
Aged couples, who had planned holidays to countries that matched their budget have cancelled too."u00a0u00a0u00a0
Domestic bookings, particularly to flu affected Pune and other cities in Maharashtrau00a0 like Mumbai,u00a0 Nasik and Aurangabad are worst hit. However Mumbai being a business hub, the drop in flight bookings is slightly low compared to tourist places, say operators.
Cancelled trips
Tourists from Bangalore, who visited places like Shirdi, Shanishingapur via Pune and places like Ajantha-Ellora caves, Tryambakeshwar via Aurangabad have either postponed or cancelled their plans resulting in the 40 percent drop in bookings to cities in Maharashtra.
"The impact is visible in domestic tourism. I have also started getting calls from hotels reporting cancellations from abroad, which have gone up to 10-15 per cent after the spread of H1N1 virus in India," said Rajji Rai, President, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI)
According to Iqbal Mulla, owner of Treasure Tours & Travels Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, there is almost a 50 percent drop in inbound and outbound tourism. "I had a group of 17 foreigners who were supposed to board the luxury train Palace on Wheels, but since the outbreak of the flu, 14 of them have cancelled their trip," said Mulla.
No guidelines
Tarvel operators complain that the government has issued no proper guidelines to cope with the crisis.
"Thousands of commuters travel through our bus and private car fleet, but it is impossible for us to detect who is affected by swine flu. Asking medical certificates from passengers too will not be feasible. If the government issues certain guidelines for the operators and the passengers, it will make our job more easier," said Sunil Savla, owner of Neeta Travels in Mumbai.
Though currently in the grip of anxiety, industry insiders are still hopeful that things would change by the time the peak tourist season starts. "Peak tourism season is yet to come and we are expecting the flu would be under control," said Rajji Rai.
(With inputs from Delhi and Mumbai)
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