Demand for short-haul travel grows: Indian tourists flock to Southeast Asia amidst geopolitical tensions

Increasing geopolitical tension in West Asia have recently signalled an unambiguous trend among tourists seeking peace of mind and safety, severely shifting tourism trends across the region. Severely altering Indian tourist preferences for vacation towards Southeast Asia's short-haul, easy to access destinations such as Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, that remained relatively unaffected and continued to attract tourist, said travel companies.

Though Travellers are considering delaying or postponing plans, Southeast Asia has emerged as a go-to destination for those seeking familiar experiences. A 50% rise in bookings has been seen in countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines compared to last year, said Manjari Singhal, chief growth and business officer at Cleartrip. Also, the dropped airfares to Vietnam and Indonesia, makes these destinations more accessible for budget conscious holidaymakers, she added.

The easy visa entry or visa free benefit has only served to fuel demand from late booker segments for Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia, Mauritius and Seychelles. Affordable flight fares, great discounts on five-star hotels in Bangkok and Koh Samui and no hassle of visa appointments fuelled travellers to book a holiday in Thailand this month.

Thanks to the strong tourism infrastructure, cultural appeal, and ease of connectivity, countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore continue to be popular among Indian travellers, said Bharat Malik, senior VP, flights and hotel business at Yatra Online. “Amidst the ongoing geopolitical tensions in West Asia, these destinations have remained stable and unaffected, making them a preferred choice at this time,” he said. “Temporary airspace restrictions impacted certain long-haul routes, and increasing flight durations by 2–4 hours due to rerouting of flights. Rise in airfares by nearly 15–20% on certain routes, has naturally shifted traveller interest towards more cost-effective and shorter routes,” he added.

Commercial director Amjad Thaufeeg said, Bookings from India remained steady at Kuda Villingili Resort Maldives. “Maldives is still one of the top choices for Indian tourist looking for a quick luxurious getaway, especially from couples and families and we have seen that demand stays consistent. We are also seeing advance bookings for the upcoming festive seasons, as many guests are booking earlier to secure their preferred villas and experiences “, he added.

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