The journey is more important than the destination’, they say, but probably footloose and travel-freak Amdavadis are realising this now more than ever.
The aftermath of the rupee tanking to an all-time low against the dollar has forced the quintessential Amdavadi traveller, to give popular tourist spots such as Thailand, Malaysia and Dubai a miss, and find newer domestic destinations instead. City-based tour operators say even fortnight-long overseas tours have been halved to 7-8 days, in a bid to keep the prices pocket-friendly.
According to manager of Kesari Tours Pvt Ltd, Bhaumik Rami, travellers from the city have shown preference for homegrown spots like Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim over package tours abroad for the upcoming travel season between Janmashtami and Diwali.
“However, foreign tours to Europe and the US (costing upwards of Rs2 lakh per person) have remained unaffected by the currency depreciation. People who can afford to pay for these trips opt for them irrespective of the rupee’s position,” Rami reasoned.
“People who would prefer to travel to Europe or Australia are now choosing to go to the Middle East or South-East Asia, while many who travel to the latter are sticking to domestic spots this year,” director at Gujarat Association of Tour Operators (Gato), Manish Sharma, said.
According to him, as much as 30% international vacationers have chosen domestic destinations. Tour operators are also trying to keep package costs down this time around.
“Due to the rupee-dollar scenario, we have had to retain the prices which we offered last year for the same packages. In 2012, there was a 5% hike in prices, while there is barely any rise this year,” Sharma said.
Affirming this change in travel plans, Jayesh Patel of Vinay Tours & Travels said that people who used to stay in 4-star accommodation are now settling for 3-star hotels to keep costs down. Many have also started cutting short their trips.
“Clients who booked a six-night stay in Malaysia or Singapore are now asking for the number of days to be reduced to three,” said Patel.
Meanwhile, Travel Association of India Gujarat chapter secretary, Paras Lakhia, equated cancelling travel plans due to a weakening rupee with not driving a car due to rise in fuel prices. “As of now, it is business as usual and only if the dollar sustains its value, will there be any major impact on the travel industry,” he said.
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