Summer vacation is here. Families are preparing to travel for holidays. But not all places have opened up as the Covid has resurfaced in many parts of the world. In addition to Covid situation, high travel cost, political turmoil is also acting as a deterrent against travelling. So, which are the places Goans are going?
Sainath Dharwadkar, chairman, Travel and Tour Association of India, Goa chapter said that Sri Lanka is a preferred travel destination, which is near and affordable. But the ongoing turmoil in the country has taken it off the tourism radar.
“We were supposed to have a big tourism convention in Sri Lanka which has been deferred indefinitely. There are a lot of issues in the country. Although the government had assured full security, we decided to postpone it till the situation improves,” Dharwadkar said.
Within the subcontinent, although Bhutan is a good destination for holidaying, especially in summers, there are still a lot of restrictions in place, even though many other countries have opened up.
“People are travelling to Nepal. But most of the tourists prefer to visit Kashmir this summer. The hotels were full there, showing the immense popularity it commands amongst Goan travellers. This situation will remain till mid-May. People are also travelling to Himachal Pradesh,” the chairman of TTAI Goa chapter said.
For foreign travel, Goans are opting for Europe. People are travelling to Switzerland, the United Kingdom, France and Austria.
“Families prefer to travel to these destinations. Singapore is the most desired destination right now. It is quite popular amongst tourists. It has opened its vaccinated travel line. Dubai is another popular destination. These places don’t have any travel restrictions. The travelling is also easy and hassle-free. There are tour packages that are being offered to travellers,” he said.
Although Thailand has been a popular destination amongst Goan tourists, there are certain places having travelling restrictions.
“There are many places where you have to undergo quarantine compulsorily for five days in a designated hotel. Then after the quarantine period is over, you have to undergo COVID test. You will be allowed to travel if only test samples are negative. Due to this, people are avoiding travelling to Thailand right now. Things may change after the restrictions are removed,” Dharwadkar said.
Nilesh Shah, president Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) said that a lot of people are visiting Europe as a lot of Goans have their family members there and due to covid, they have not met for the last two years.
“Also, the waiting period for getting a visa to the USA is too long. Fuel prices are also very high right now, which is acting as a deterrent against flying long distances now, including for domestic travel. We are hopeful that in another couple of months, the fuel cost will rationalise,” Shah said.
Meanwhile, Dubai, European countries viz UK, France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany. Just when the covid restrictions were getting eased, now we have the new problem posed by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“People are hesitant to fly abroad. Whenever there is a health problem or political turmoil travelling always takes a hit. People are taking short holidays to nearby places like Dubai and Thailand as long-distance travel is proving unfeasible right now,” he said.
