52% cancel summer travel plans over COVID-19 scare: Survey

Around 52% of Indians have cancelled their summer travel plans due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to the latest survey.

The survey also revealed that 48% of Indians planned to cancel their international business travel for the next 4 months. Most citizens cancelling their travel facing cancellation charges levied by airlines or agents said the survey conducted by social media platform Local Circles.

The survey, which was conducted to study the impact of Coronavirus on their upcoming travel plans in the next 4 months, covered responses from 22,000 people from 140 districts spread across the country.

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An increasing number of people are becoming wary of travelling in the midst of the

Coronavirus scare. The months of March-June have historically been high travel season for the Indians, the majority due to the summer vacations in schools, but it seems like Indians do not want to take a chance with this rather scary virus and are cancelling/postponing their travel
plans said the survey.

In the poll conducted last month, 41% of citizens had said that they were cautious about travelling this summer due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

This number has now increased to 54% in a month’s time, pointing towards the fact that more and more Indians are finding travelling to be unsafe for them and their family at this time.

These are testing times for the entire travel and tourism industry – the airlines, the hotels, the travel agents, as well as that small tour and taxi operators. The best solution that seems at this point is to adjust cost structures, stay flexible, and with a collective approach work to minimise the period of impact to both citizens and business said the survey report.