HYDERABAD: It’s destination Europe for Hyderabad’s travellers this summer season. Travel agents from the city say that a pent-up demand — owing to two years of pandemic — coupled with the ensuing vacation has led to an impressive jump in bookings for European countries this year, thus pushing the price of tickets too significantly northwards.
Compared to other times, the fares are anywhere between 18% and 20% higher now, they said, adding how other elements of an international package, like hotels, food etc, have also become more expensive, courtesy the inflation.
Yet, the demand — mostly backed by families and business travellers — is on the rise. Their top picks: Paris, London, Switzerland, Venice, Austria, Italy, Germany, among others.
“The demand is so much that we are not even getting slots to submit documents for visa processing. There is a waiting period of about a month for booking of slots,” said Abdul Majid Faheem, chairman, Travel Agents Federation of India, Hyderabad. According to him, the price of packages, including flight tickets, has more than doubled in the recent past.
“As many spent most of the last two years indoors, they are looking to travel outside the country and European countries are among the favourite destinations. The tour packages, which generally cost about 60,000 to 70, 000 are now priced at about 1.5 lakh,” he added and said that the price is, however, reiterating how that’s not a deterrent for travellers.
Siraj Ansari, president, Tour Operators Association of Telangana, agreed to the rush. He said, the demand for Schengen visas is particularly high. “It is mostly families and business travellers who are heading to European countries,” said Ansari.
In fact, such is the rush for visas that some travellers from the city said they are now rescheduling their travel plans. “We approached a travel agent in the first week of May with the intention to travel to Europe during end of June or early July. However, after being told about the long wait for visa, we decided to postpone our international travel,” said Ajay K, a techie adding that they now intend to travel to Europe during the October-November period.
Compared to other times, the fares are anywhere between 18% and 20% higher now, they said, adding how other elements of an international package, like hotels, food etc, have also become more expensive, courtesy the inflation.
Yet, the demand — mostly backed by families and business travellers — is on the rise. Their top picks: Paris, London, Switzerland, Venice, Austria, Italy, Germany, among others.
“The demand is so much that we are not even getting slots to submit documents for visa processing. There is a waiting period of about a month for booking of slots,” said Abdul Majid Faheem, chairman, Travel Agents Federation of India, Hyderabad. According to him, the price of packages, including flight tickets, has more than doubled in the recent past.
“As many spent most of the last two years indoors, they are looking to travel outside the country and European countries are among the favourite destinations. The tour packages, which generally cost about 60,000 to 70, 000 are now priced at about 1.5 lakh,” he added and said that the price is, however, reiterating how that’s not a deterrent for travellers.
Siraj Ansari, president, Tour Operators Association of Telangana, agreed to the rush. He said, the demand for Schengen visas is particularly high. “It is mostly families and business travellers who are heading to European countries,” said Ansari.
In fact, such is the rush for visas that some travellers from the city said they are now rescheduling their travel plans. “We approached a travel agent in the first week of May with the intention to travel to Europe during end of June or early July. However, after being told about the long wait for visa, we decided to postpone our international travel,” said Ajay K, a techie adding that they now intend to travel to Europe during the October-November period.