Karnataka Bandh puts the brakes on weekend travel plans

The Karnataka Bandh call for Friday has spoiled the travel plans of many, with tour operators already flooded with requests to shuffle schedules.

While most of the hotels and tour packages were fully booked from September 28 to October 2 owing to the long weekend, tour operators told DH that they are now receiving calls to either cancel or postpone the travel.

It is still unclear if the bandh will go on as expected, but there is a sense of fear among people, said G K Shetty, treasurer, Karnataka Tourism Society. “People are worried since it is a sensitive matter. Many of them had made travel plans, but considering the situation, they are wondering whether to take a risk,” he said.

While some are cancelling their plans, others are requesting that the tour be rescheduled to November, during Deepavali. 

“Thousands of bookings are either being cancelled or postponed. Since it is a bandh call, we are also trying to oblige and are looking at other arrangements that can be made,” said S Mahalingaiah, director of Skyway International Travels and Secretary, Karnataka Tourism Society.

For those who have already arrived or whose plans cannot be cancelled, the operators are trying to make alternative arrangements to ensure safety. Most of the travellers are being asked to travel either early morning or late in the evening.

“In a few cases, we are arranging short stays as a stop-gap arrangement to ensure that they do not have to venture out during the bandh hours,” Mahalingaiah said. 

Even though many are cancelling their plans, the number of travellers over the weekend is still going to be high owing to the October 2 holiday, industry experts said.

“Only those who have booked tours from Thursday, considering the Eid-e-Milad an-Nabi holiday, are cancelling reservations. There are a large number of bookings for the Saturday-Sunday-Monday holiday,” said another tour operator based out of Bengaluru.

Many travellers had booked their packages a month ago, said Nagesh Babu, a representative of World Trails Private Limited, a travel management company. “Long weekends are busy, especially after the pandemic. Now, during the October 2 holiday, almost every good hotel and resort in the state is booked.”

Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Sakleshpur, Bandipur and Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary are the most popular choices for a quick getaway.