MUMBAI: Demand for domestic travel had peaked in the past two months during the festive season and the year was supposed to end with a bang, what with travellers making advance bookings for the year-end holiday. But the Maharashtra government directive that made RT-PCR reports mandatory for all inter-state arrivals has left many a year-end travel plans in a limbo, say travel industry insiders.
“We received queries on domestic cancellations through the day. The major concern is about spending January 1 queueing up at Goa’s testing centres and hospitals to undergo an RT-PCR test. The next day is a Sunday, most testing places in Goa would be closed. Most passengers are booked to return to Mumbai on Sunday evening and Monday morning,” said a travel agent, requesting anonymity. He added unlike cancellations on the international sector, passengers booked on the domestic sector have adopted a wait-and-watch policy. “We’re expecting some air ticket cancellations in the coming weeks, but people might not entirely abandon their year-end plans. We expect inter-state road travel to pick up. The past two peaks have shown that RT-PCR reports aren’t checked diligently on roads,” he added.
Currently, the cheapest return ticket for year-end travel on non-stop flights between Mumbai and Goa—the most popular year-end route, that is—starts at around Rs 11,000. Prashant Pitti, co-founder, EaseMyTrip, said they had witnessed more than 400% jump in advance air ticket bookings across India for December. “About 65-75% of travellers have opted for the full-refund booking options since the second wave of the pandemic, and with the new variant, this number is expected to grow in the coming weeks,” he added. tnn
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/mumbai-domestic-flyers-too-rethink-yr-end-plans/articleshow/88038313.cms
