Malaysia a less popular holiday spot after MH 370 tragedy

The tragedy that struck the Malaysian plane MH 370 over two months ago seems to have made an impact on the vacationers this season to the country.

Many of those who had planned to visit Malaysia are now choosing other destinations for holidays. International travel agents in the City say the number of people opting for the once-preferred destination of Malaysia has drastically come down after the MH 370 tragedy. They say Maldives, Dubai, Japan and the USA are now the preferred holiday destinations for people in the City.

‘Comparitively lesser’

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Mohammad Jabeer of International Travel Shoppe said: “Compared to previous seasons, this time, the number of people travelling to Malaysia is less. But, we are receiving enquiries for packages. Some of those who had booked tickets and made reservations in advance have changed their destinations, while some are sticking to it. But overall, there has been a decline due to the plane tragedy as some people are scared.”

An agent from Cross World Travels said that there was a decrease of 10 to 20 per cent in leisure travellers to Malaysia compared to the last season. Another official from a popular Bangalore-based travel portal said that only the tourist traffic had reduced, but the business travellers were unaffected and going about their work as always.

Ramesh K, 54, who was to take a family holiday in Malaysia along with his two children, said: “I changed my holiday destination to Maldives, even though I had to shell out Rs 10,000 per person after I changed the plan. But it is better to be safe than to be sorry. I could not have taken a chance with the trip.”