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| Travel fever | |
| Aabhas Sharma / May 10, 2009, 0:14 IST | |
A few places where you can enjoy your summer holiday free from fear of swine flu.
Swine flu has affected travel and tourism the world over. There have reportedly been a huge number of holiday cancellations, and the travel industry is reeling under the outbreak of the disease. Tourism in certain countries seems to have taken a disproportionate toll, especially in South America.
But there are a few places which, fortunately, remain unaffected, where you could go easily without the fear of being struck down by the disease. As if the Indian Premier League wasn’t a good enough reason to visit South Africa, you have another one — the country remains unaffected by swine flu. Watch the cricket, visit the beautiful national parks and chill out on the beaches in South Africa. With a lot of IPL travel packages up for grabs, planning a holiday shouldn’t be that difficult. Even if you aren’t a cricket buff, cash in on the offers available and go to South Africa without any worries.
South-east Asia, as of now, remains unaffected. A couple of years ago, the tourism industry in the region had been massively hit when the SARS panic broke. This time around, the countries are better prepared and so far no cases have been registered.
So perennially favourite destinations like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore or Indonesia could see more visitors during this period. Incidentally, the Indonesian health minister even went on record to claim that “Indonesia’s climate is too warm” for swine flu.
Travel deals for these countries are always easily available, and this season they seem to be cheaper still. Even if you’ve been to these places earlier, it’s better to go there again, rather than to an exotic locale somewhere in Europe. Travel portals are offering great rates for multiple-destination holidays. For instance, an eight-day holiday to Singapore and Malaysia is available for Rs 37,000. Even a four-day trip to Thailand is available at a price as low as Rs 21,000.
Of course, with India safe from the flu so far, you can always visit various beautiful locales within the country as well. This might just be a good time to explore the backwaters of Kerala or, if you can handle the heat, Goa or even Rajasthan. Just don’t travel to Mexico, the USA, Canada or Europe, and hopefully you should do just fine!
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