The spreading violence in Egypt is prompting more and more Indians to cancel their plans to visit the country of pyramids, which till recently was one of the most preferred destinations for Indian tourists, alongside Bangkok, Malaysia and the US.
Around 30,000 Indian tourists visit the North African country every year, which is in turmoil now after the removal of elected President Mohamed Morsi by the army in early July, according to the Indian Association of Tour Operators (Iato). The past two years had seen Indian traffic to Egypt growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 15 per cent. But that is now almost flat, owing to clashes between Egypt’s military-backed government and Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood.
Leading travel portals, too, have advised their customers not to visit the country for now.
According to global reports, the army is now targeting the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood and intensifying a propaganda campaign against it amid signs of a strategy of encouraging rank and file members to break away. Fearing more clashes, some countries have issued travel advisories asking their citizens not to visit Egypt.
“This year, we are witnessing huge cancellations from Indians in their Egypt travel plans. It’s a premium destination, but the fear of further violence has caused the damage,” said Gour Kanjilal, executive director of Iato, which has over 1,600 members across the country. “Egypt has always been an attractive tourist destination from a historical, architectural and cultural perspective. Given the current turmoil, we have been pro-actively advising customers enquiring about the destination against travel till normalcy is restored in the interests of their own safety,” said Madhavan Menon, managing director, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.
Terming it a blessing in disguise, Iato’s Kanjilal claimed the Egypt turmoil had benefited India’s domestic tourism. “We have seen the traffic from neighbouring countries of Egypt such as Turkey and Greece coming to India.”
The depreciation of the rupee against the dollar is making India a more attractive destination for them.”
Best Western India, part of global hospitality chain Best Western International, echoed the same. “Egypt was one of the highest growing destinations and it is inevitable that people from neighbouring countries would now be more interested in India. A weaker rupee will act as catalyst for them,” said Sudhir Sinha, chief operating officer, Best Western India.
This is the season when almost 60 per cent of foreign traffic visits India. Every year, 6.5 million foreign tourists come to India. While the US and Asian countries contribute the most, the contribution of countries such as Turkey has been growing.
According to Kanjilal, the weak rupee had also added to the misery of Indians cancelling foreign travel plans. Almost a sharp dip of 30 per cent has been witnessed by Iato members in booking for foreign destinations, owing to the volatile currency.
Indian rupee has lost more than 13 per cent against the dollar since January this year.
