Suspension of UK flights may not have much impact on tourist traffic: Industry players

The governments decision to suspend all flights from and to the UK from December 23 to December 31, in view of the emergence of a new COVID-19 strain, is not likely to have much impact on the tourist traffic, and the companies are monitoring the situation, travel industry players said on Monday.

The government's decision to suspend all flights from and to the UK from December 23 to December 31, in view of the emergence of a new COVID-19 strain, is not likely to have much impact on the tourist traffic, and the companies are monitoring the situation, travel industry players said on Monday. ''The impact of the current flight suspension to the UK and from there will have a negligible impact on tourist traffic. Due to the current environment of COVID-19 and the quarantine rules and off season, tourism to the UK in any case had not picked up,'' EaseMyTrip co-founder and CEO Nishant Pitti told PTI.

This will lead to a faster growth and demand for domestic tourism, especially when the international option is limited. Travellers are aspiring to travel and take a break, and the focus will be on choosing Indian destinations, he added. In a statement, a MakeMyTrip spokesperson said the sudden turn of developments in the UK has created a sense of confusion and anxiety among travellers who were planning to visit family and friends during this winter holiday season.

''While we are yet to see any impact on bookings from India to the UK, we do expect inbound queries from customers who were planning to return home in the coming days. ''We are closely monitoring the situation and together with our partners, we will work towards addressing travel concerns of home-bound travellers as the situation evolves,'' it added.