Euro depreciation makes Europe a favourite tourist spot

 The fall in Euro rates seems to have turned into a boon for Indian tourists as the number of those planning to visit Europe, specially Greece, has seen a surge in the last few months.

With competitive air fares and lucrative tour packages, there is a big surge in the number of tourists who are more interested in visiting Europe than South Asia or USA.

According to tour operators and travel agents, the depreciation of Euro rates in the last few months has helped in bringing down the cost of touring Europe, specially Greece and other nations.

"After the Euro depreciation in the last few months, there has been a huge surge in inquiries about plans and packages to Europe and Greece. It is more than what we usually notice during this time of the year. The bookings too have gone up for Europe tours," Head, Corporate Communication, Cox & Kings, Thomas C Thottathill told PTI.
One Euro stands at Rs 70.

"A ten-day trip to Europe used to cost about 1.5 lakh. Now it will cost around 1.3 lakh," tour operator Abhijit Dhar said.

"This year, during September and October, which is generally the beginning of winters in Europe, we have seen a good amount of bookings as costs have come down to a large extent. Otherwise, this period is generally a lean period in terms of business to Europe," Dhar said.

Tour operators in Kolkata said that apart from the Euro depreciation, another factor which has added to the advantage is the major dip in hospitality service costs in Greece.
Anil Punjabi, Chairman (eastern chapter), Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), said that apart from the increase in queries, tourists are also bothered about safety.

"Tourists always prefer safe places. Although there has been an increase in queries about Greece and Europe, travellers have apprehensions about ongoing protests and economical and political situation in Greece," added Punjabi.