Journalism of Courage
(Written by Samriddhi Sakunia)
“There are no fresh bookings. Most of the calls we receive these days are requests for booking cancellations,” an international tour booking agent, who did not wish to be named, said. “Most of the bookings that we get are generally for Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Since Southeast Asia has been affected by the virus spread, international business has been hurt badly,” he said. Apart from health concerns, travellers have also expressed apprehension about the strict screening regimes and the prospect of being detained in foreign countries if they are suspected of infection. “People don’t want to go to a foreign country when there is a possibility that they might get stuck for quarantine,” said the agent.
An executive of the Deccan Tours and Travels said the firm has seen about 30 per cent cancellations in bookings to Singapore. Bhagyashree Travels, another tour booking company in Pune, said there were over “80 per cent cancellations”.
Executives of two other five-star hotels said there have been 50-60 per cent cancellations.
Sharan Shetty, president of Pune Hoteliers’ Association, said, “Yes there is a dip in occupancies and revenue this month, but we are hopeful that things will get better soon.”
