Pandemic-weary Chennaiites now eager to fly out

 Pandemic-weary Chennaiites now eager to fly out

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:19.09.2020

As expectations are high on resuming scheduled international services next month or in November, travel and tour companies have started getting requests for advance booking for November, December and January from people who want to travel for business and trade and also for honeymoon.

People are ready to travel after getting stuck at home for five months and the preference is for destinations like Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and to countries in the Middle East when restrictions are removed. Airlines and travel agents believe that there will be more flights and fewer restrictions in November. Initial passengers will be traders and those traveling for business, social visits. It may take longer for leisure travel and MICE to resume.

Only Maldives and Dubai are now open for leisure travel. But only those who are returning for work or to join with family are travelling.

Sriharan Balan of Madura Travels said, “People are ready to travel and have started to make enquiries to make advance booking. A few wanted to travel for honeymoon for weddings planned in December and January. We have got bookings but they have asked us for time to pay because they want to see if there will be further lifting of restrictions.”

An airport official said that airlines also feel that restrictions may be lifted by foreign countries by mid next month and that travelling will be back to normal by November or December. “Airlines are pushing the government to resume scheduled flights as countries are moving towards reopening travel with precautions. Online portals have started to display fares from October onwards but airlines are expecting advance booking for November, December and January”, he added.

And probably to cash in on the trend, one-way fares are high. Tickets are in the range of ₹8,500 to ₹13,000 to Kuala Lumpur ₹8,700 to ₹12,000 to Bangkok, ₹7,000 to Singapore.

Basheer Ahmed of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) “People, mostly traders, are ready to travel but need for quarantine and need to pay for institutional quarantine upfront during booking of the trip is a stumbling block. Countries like Singapore insist that quarantine charges should be paid which is not viable for advance booking. Many countries are going to ask for a certificate. Leisure travellers may not like these rules.”

Travel and tour companies have started getting requests for advance booking for November, December and January