Indian tourists flock to Southeast Asia amid geopolitical tensions
In contrast to long-haul travel, which has seen some softening amid geopolitical tensions since summer, short-haul, easy-to-access destinations such as Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal have remained relatively unaffected and continue to attract interest from Indian travellers, travel companies said.
"While travellers have considered delaying or postponing plans, Southeast Asia has emerged as a go-to destination for those seeking familiar experiences. Countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines have seen a 50% rise in bookings compared to last year," said Manjari Singhal, chief growth and business officer at Cleartrip. “Additionally, airfares to Vietnam and Indonesia have dropped, making these destinations more accessible for budget conscious holidaymakers,” she added.
The benefit of visa free or easy visa entry has only served to fuel demand from late booker segments for Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia, Mauritius and Seychelles, said Neeraj Singh Dev, executive vice president and head, e commerce, and domestic and short haul holidays at Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC Travel. "Our pipeline post reopening of schools shows continued momentum from the young professionals segment, especially for weekends and extended weekends,” he added.