With Tensions On, Summer Travel Bookings to The West, Middle East Drop 90 Pc

Chennai: While Iran tensions have hit Middle East travel almost 90 per cent, people are avoiding travel to the US, Europe and other parts of the western world as well. The summer travel bookings to the West and the Middle East have almost stopped, while travellers are increasingly choosing Eastern countries.

Almost 95 per cent of flights have been cancelled to and from the Middle East since the Iran crisis started. However, slowly some of the airlines have started operating a few flights, but still around 85 per cent flights remain cancelled.

“Travel to not just the Middle East, but the US, Europe and in general the countries towards the West are affected. Flights are getting cancelled, but people are neither cancelling nor booking to these regions,” said Rikant Pitti, co-founder of EaseMyTrip. EaseMyTrip has been arranging multiple charter flights from UAE and Oman and bringing thousands of Indians back home and arranging free bus transfer from Bahrain to Riyadh/Dammam.

With the situation remaining tense, he expects travel to the West and Middle East to remain affected during the summer. “Summer travel bookings to the West and Middle East are down by 90 per cent. No bookings are happening to these regions. Many, who had planned leisure travel during the summer, are choosing destinations like Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Singapore and Australia.

Even the travel costs to the West have gone up as flights have to take a longer route due to the closure of airspaces of Pakistan and Iran.

“Travel bookings for summer in general are down by around 50 per cent. But people are not cancelling in the hope of peace returning soon. Bookings to safer places like Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines are happening,” said Iqbal Mulla, president, Global Tourism Council.