Middle East strife grounds Kochiites’ vacation plans

Kochi: What was meant to be a picture-perfect family holiday has turned into a scramble for refunds and rebookings for thousands of Kochiites. Though planned in advance, the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East forced many to cancel their holidays. They are also not able to book last minute trips within India due to a sharp spike in aviation costs and LPG shortage that resulted in the closure of several eateries.The most preferred outbound tourism abroad from Kerala in summer is to the cooler climes of Europe or the familiar hubs of the Gulf, or the tropical retreats of Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, when it comes to domestic destinations, Malayalis prefer Rajasthan, hill stations in North India or temple visits in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. Travel agencies in Kochi report a 20% cancellation rate for international bookings in recent weeks. They admitted that if the situation doesn't improve then there would be more cancellations during the busiest quarter for outbound tourism. "There are several cancellations of international travel bookings, especially by families. A lot of regular summer travellers are now opting for domestic destinations," said Anu Sebastian, general manager of Kochi-based Goout Tour & Travels Pvt Ltd. "We're getting more enquiries for domestic hill destinations like Manali," said a senior official of Somans Leisure Tours India Pvt Ltd. While Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia remain popular due to their visa-on-arrival perks, the cost of travel has skyrocketed. "The airfare has become unaffordable for the average middle-class family," Sebastian pointed out. Even regular international travellers have cancelled their trips. Muralidhara Pai, son-in-law of K R Vijayan, late owner of Sree Balaji Coffee House at Gandhi Nagar who became famous for his world tours, said, "We were planning to visit UK this time. However, there is an element of uncertainty due to the Middle East conflict, which forced us to drop the plan," he said. With flight prices skyrocketing, the ‘budget-friendly' appeal of several safer destinations, both international and domestic, has largely evaporated, leading many to reconsider their plans. While the outbound sector faces headwinds, Kerala's domestic tourism industry is bracing for a windfall, according to industry players. Deprived of their European tours, holidaymakers are turning their attention to the ‘cool' pockets in the state. While high-altitude destinations like Munnar, Wayanad and Vagamon are seeing a surge in enquiries, lesser-known destinations are also in the hit list of domestic travellers. "For instance, the forest department manages Abhayaranyam (a popular wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre in Kodanad), and Paniyeli Poru ecotourism centre. We've made all arrangements to provide a comfortable experience to the visitors in all the destinations under us," said Lijo Joseph, secretary, Ernakulam district tourism promotion council.