Tour operators sore over Re depreciation

MANGALORE: With rupee hitting a low, international travel has become expensive. Because of this, some tour operators here are experiencing the heat with business going down by 10-20% for the next holiday season.
Those who have not experienced a low as of now, say a clear picture emerges when the holiday season starts.Globe Travels proprietor William D’Souza admits that the bookings for April-May holiday season have gone down by 10-20%.Travellers book their tickets in November-December for travel scheduled for April-May.
“The travel component in Indian rupees usually constitutes 30-35% of the travel, and the rest, which is a dollar component, has become expensive due to rupee devaluation,” D’Souza told TOI. “Even a difference of Rs 2 in exchange value makes a lot of difference to us.
The number of travellers and bookings are getting less compared to last year. We usually pass on the advance we receive to the foreign counterpart so that fluctuations will not have a bearing on us and our customers,” he adds.
Ramdas Nayak, manager of Akbar Travels of India, says bookings have not come down as air fares have been steady. “But those who buy international currency are cautious. They are buying less than the usual amount,” he added. According to him, the effect may be felt during the Christmas vacation and April-May in case the rupee situation continues.Majority of the foreign travel bookings out of India from here is to Gulf, Middle East, followed by the US, Canada and the United Kingdom.