Overseas travel dips, picks up within state

Tour operators claim 30% dip in overseas leisure travel from Gujarat

While the rupee-dollar fluctuations have affected international travel from Gujarat, the travel-loving Gujaratis have chosen to travel within the state. According to tour operators, tourists travelling within Gujarat have increased manifold this year.

Sharvil Patel, who runs Altius Travels, an Ahmedabad-based travel agency and is also a member of the Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) said, "Tourists from Gujarat opting for travelling overseas has come down this year. There has been a decline of almost 30 per cent in international leisure travel. But, on the other hand, travelling within Gujarat has seen a significant rise this year. The number of tourists that our agency has handled who have opted to travel within the state has doubled compared to last year. This is very clearly evident in the car rental bookings that we are handling."

According to data from the Gujarat Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation Limited (GITCO) the trend has been picking up since the last few years. While around 13 million Gujaratis travelled within the state in 2009-10, the number swelled up to 19.5 million in 2012-13.

The popular tourist destinations within Gujarat have been Dwarka, Somnath, Sasan-Gir. Several tourists have also opted for Diu, which is a union territory close to Gujarat, while travellers from Surat are flocking to Daman, inform tour operators.

According to Patel, whose agency handles corporate clients and books over 300 international flight tickets in a year, said that demand for international leisure packages are down by at least 30 per cent this year, especially after the dollar rates picked up vis-a-vis the rupee.

He, however, said that corporate bookings have not been impacted much.

M Vakharia, head of Gujarat chapter of the Outbound Tour Operators of India (OTOI) admitted that travelling within Gujarat is indeed getting more popular and one of the major reasons is the popular campaign Khushboo Gujarat ki which is anchored by Hindi film actor Amitabh Bachchan. Tourist arrivals in Gujarat increased from 17 million in 2009-10 to 25.4 million in 2012-13.

However, demand for overseas holidays has definitely taken a hit, he added.

"The dollar-rupee fluctuation had impacted the summer holiday season travel this year. And on the whole, for the year so far, there has been a 15-30 per cent dip in demand for international travel," Vakharia said.

He further explained that if there is a cost increase of Rs 15,000-20,000 per person for an international trip, for a family of four, the overall cost increases by Rs 60,000-80,000. The US dollar is around Rs 61-62 levels now, up from Rs 54-55 levels in March this year.

The campaign has also induced school children to travel within the state. J S Maheswari of Height & Sight Holidays based in Bhuj said that everyday at least 30-40 buses of school children are visiting Bhuj and the nearby white desert (Rann) during the winters when the Rann Utsav is in full swing.

While the official figures of travelling within Gujarat is yet to be collated, tour operators across the state are convinced that within state travel has grown significantly this year as demand for international travel has dipped.

One word of caution, however, that almost all operators sounded was that of poor tourism infrastructure within the state, which would impact tourism in the long run.

"There are logistical issues, connectivity by roads takes time and accessibility affects tourists wanting to visit from other states," Vakharia said.