Summer Europe bookings from AP, TG suffer amid war fallout

Visakhapatnam: The West Asia conflict has disrupted the travel plans of many from the Telugu States planning summer trips to Europe to escape the heat.

Travel operators who depend heavily on summer traffic to Switzerland, France, Belgium, Sweden and other EU nations are facing a major setback due to airspace shutdowns and airport closures in the Middle East.

On average, an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 bookings from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are made every summer for 7- to 14-day group and customised Europe travel packages. Most of these bookings, including hotels, are routed through airlines operating from the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia due to time and cost advantages.

However, the crisis has led to cancellation of several flights to the Gulf from Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. Though the two airports in AP operate one flight each to Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, services to other international destinations such as Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore remain unaffected. However, short trips by budget travellers fetch very low profit for travel agencies.

There are also fears that a short supply of crude oil and the inflation triggered by the war could make international travel prohibitively expensive once normalcy returns. Tour and Travel Agents of Andhra president K. Vijay Mohan told Bizz Buzz on Monday that the sudden development has come like a bolt from the blue for travel operators in AP and Telangana.

Operators say they had already booked luxury hotels and resorts and tied up with local vendors in Europe, and cancellation or rescheduling of packages is now causing a heavy financial burden.