Skyrocketing airfares are likely to be a dampener for the hospitality sector this Onam season, which used to witness an increase in tourist footfall.
Though the tourism sector is staging a comeback riding on domestic tourism after the pandemic outbreak, high airfares, a jump of 200-400% in popular domestic and international routes, and issues in granting electronic visas to tourists from countries such as the United Kingdom., Canada, and Saudi Arabia are dissuading visitors from travelling to Kerala.
Rupesh Kumar, coordinator, Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission Kerala, says though the sector has been doing reasonably well after the pandemic, the exorbitant airfares and restrictions in issuing e-visas to tourists from the United Kingdom have come as a blow as the U.K. contributes the lion’s share of foreigners visiting the State. Further, the high airfares on domestic routes will also force many to reschedule their itinerary, says Mr. Kumar.
