Indian travellers, both for leisure and business, are avoiding London and other cities in the UK, after days of violence and riots there. Industry estimates suggest around 30 per cent UK bookings have been cancelled from India in the last few days. Flight bookings to other international destinations via London have also been impacted to some extent.
Vijay Thakur, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators said that people were sceptical of visiting the places of tourist attractions in London, fearing an attack. So, many Indians were either cancelling their UK visit or rescheduling it. "We will wait for another week and hopefully things will settle down," Thakur said.
"We are facilitating date changes," said Keyur Joshi, co-founder and chief operating officer, MakeMyTrip. At this point, it is mostly the returning residents who are making up for most of the traffic, according to Joshi. "Airports are functioning fine so we are able to tackle the situation,” he added.
About 10-15 per cent travellers going to the US and Europe were preferring other routes, rather than flying via London, industry experts said. An IT company executive, who was travelling to the US via London, was among those struggling to change the booking.
"People are wary about their safety and are making several enquiries. Unless there is a pressing engagement, people are postponing their travel plans to that region," said Subhash Goyal, chairman, Stic Travel Group.
Some countries have even issued travel advisory for London-bound passengers.
Travel agencies are taking solace in the fact that this is not the peak holiday season. "We are keeping a close tab on the situation and would certainly take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of our customers, in case the situation worsens," said Sabina Chopra, co-founder Yatra.com.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has said the government will do everything necessary to restore order.
