As the weather turns warm and exam timetables reveal an end to the school year, March is when Bengalureans start making travel plans for the summer. But this year, the war in West Asia breaking out in the tail-end of February, has caused a spate of cancellations and last-minute changes. Mahipal Singh, who runs Sonana Travel notes, “We’ve had 20 cancellations in March when usually there are none in peak season. There have been trips planned across the Middle East, especially Dubai and Qatar and also trips to Europe because places like Dubai, Doha and Muscat used to be a hub for transit flights. While direct flights are available, there’s still been a significant impact,” he says.
Software engineer Karthik Srinivas and his friends’ trip to Prague, The Netherlands and Finland was one such Europe trip plagued by uncertainty and last-minute confusion. “Qatar Airways was completely grounded so we cancelled our plans for March 6 and rescheduled to a week later when prices were skyrocketing. Some Airbnb owners gave us a full refund but others didn’t. I decided not to continue on to Finland with the others because the tickets we were getting to return home were through Turkey. I didn’t want to take the chance of something going wrong.”
Bia Sandhu, an image consultant, who was planning to book flight tickets for a family trip to the Bahamas adds, “With fuel prices increasing and Middle-Eastern airways not flying anymore, flight costs have gone through the roof. When we started looking into tickets, it was over ₹1.5 per person. A few days ago it was about ₹4-4.5 lakh per person.”
Apart from flight troubles, there’s a general feeling of apprehension among to-be travellers, holding them back from choosing a place too far from home. Sandhu adds, “I don’t want to get stuck in another part of the world in case the situation changes. And with the Bahamas and the Caribbean region being close to the US, that was a big concern.” Travel vlogger couple Daksh Tripathi and Shreya Choubey, who were planning their first trip with their newborn to Europe and Central Asia, agree. Tripathi adds, “There are direct flights but we don’t want to go through that uncertainty, so we are avoiding the west altogether and planning South Korea instead.”
Five of 20 cancellations rebooked to Japan
With westward travel looking uncertain, Singh notes that Bengalureans are turning their sights eastward and even inward – to domestic travel. “We’ve seen a 15-20 per cent surge in travel to countries like Vietnam and Philippines. Japan too has seen a big jump – 5 of the 20 cancellations rebooked there; those who already have visas have also booked for New Zealand and Australia,” he shares, adding, “We’re also seeing a surge in domestic travel to Himachal Pradesh, the Northeast Indian states, Kashmir and Ladakh compared to last year. Last year, domestic bookings were just 20 to 30 per cent of our bookings; now they are 60 per cent.”
For an impromptu Vietnam trip, the agent recommends the pearly sands of Phuo Quoc, a Vietnamese island off the coast of Cambodia, saying, “Phu Quoc in the ultimate package because of safaris, theme parks and beautiful beaches – it’s a mix of everything.”
The vlogger couple recommend Sri Lanka, which they visited last year and say is recovering beautifully from the economic and political upheaval. “Most people think Sri Lanka is all about beaches; but there is an entire mountainous region and a tropical region with beautiful waterfalls. It’s a trendy place to go right now and feels like Goa 2.0 but much cleaner, safer and more affordable.” She recalls spotting turtles in the ocean waters during the trip, adding, “For at least three nights, people should spend time in the south coast in places like Weligama, Ahangama and Mirissa – you can do activities like spotting dolphins, whales. snorkel with turtles and surf too.”