Dearth of inbound bookings

While India has started issuing visas for international tourists, inbound operators are not seeing any concrete bookings yet, despite being at the cusp of peak season.

Hazel Jain

When the Ministry of Tourism issued visas for foreigners who desire to visit India, inbound travel operators were confident business would pick up. However, due to a number of challenges, things aren’t moving as smoothly as planned. Dharmendra Singh, Director of Plaisir Hospitality Services and Chairman of the ADTOI, Maharashtra Chapter, says. “While the government has already begun issuing Indian visas for tourists, and the first flight arrived in India on November 15, our operators do not have any incoming bookings at this time,” he said.

“I do not think international tourists will have any issues visiting India in the current scenario as far as safety is concerned,” Singh added when asked about their top concerns while visiting India. India has set a new record in terms of vaccination, hence our overseas agents are glad to know that all, at least in the tourism industry, are now fully vaccinated. So, if they send a tourist to India, they may feel confident that they would be safe. The government is quite active, checking up on the vaccination drive to bring in foreign visitors.”

When it comes to domestic tourism, though, things are looking up for ADTOI. “We do weddings and are getting inquiries,” Singh said. For the months of February and March 2022, two queries are nearing completion. Destination weddings in areas like Goa, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Jaipur continue to be popular. We have reservations in Goa and Udaipur. Wedding budgets differ from one client to another. It begins at `25 lakh. People have money to spend, and those who plan destination weddings have the financial means to do so. At least 10 to 12 luxury resorts open each year in India.”