Geopolitics nudges Kol tourists eastwards
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The advice stems from the unprecedented situation that many westbound travellers found themselves in last week, when several hundred flights from Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi were cancelled, leaving passengers stranded in these hubs for 48-72 hours. With no direct flights to Europe or America from Kolkata, Gulf carriers offered the most convenient connection to the west. But the chaos following the closure of airspace after Iran launched a missile attack against a US airbase in Qatar forced the travel trade community to rethink itineraries for clients during the ensuing holidays.
"Unless my clients insist on travelling to Europe or the US, I will advise them to explore Southeast Asia, Japan-Korea and Australia-New Zealand. There is a lot to see in this part of the world. Though normal flights have resumed in the Gulf, the disruptions over the Israel-Palestine conflict since Oct 2023 and the larger one this June due to the hostilities between Israel and the US on one side and Iran on the other have rattled us," said Travel Agents Federation of India national executive committee member Anil Punjabi.
Preliminary trends show seven out of 10 customers prefer to travel eastward rather than to the Gulf or beyond. Some are wary of the situation escalating again. With the Russia-Ukraine war showing no sign of ceasefire despite US president Donald Trump's intervention, many feel avoiding the region until stability returns may be the best call for this Durga Puja and winter.
Travel Agents Association of India national executive committee member Manav Soni said travel to the peaceful east could be a better bet. "Other factors, such as lower costs and visa waiver by countries in Southeast Asia, offer ease of travel. But the foremost factor is the assurance of safety," Soni said. "One can take risks while travelling for work or meeting families and friends. But families don't want uncertainty on vacations.
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Punjabi also said for Southeast Asia countries, where a visa was required, the processing time was much less.
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Flights departing late Tuesday from Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Vancouver turned back toward their origin airports as tsunami alerts Airlines and Alaska Airlines have begun holding departures bound for the islands, rerouting some flights already in the air, and advising passengers to check their flight status before heading to the U.S. Coast Guard has shut down ports in Hawaii, and emergency response efforts are ramping up as officials warn that tsunami effects could continue for hours or even longer.(reports CNN) Authorities in Russia's far eastern Sakhalin region declared on Wednesday a state of emergency in the northern Kuril Islands, where tsunami waves have damaged buildings and caused flooding."A state of emergency has been declared in the North Kuril District, where an earthquake and tsunami occurred today," the Sakhalin government said in a statement.(reports Reuters) Thirty additional tremors were recorded following the main earthquake off the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East on Wednesday, a regional branch of the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences tremors had a magnitude of between 2 and 5, the Service said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.(reports Reuters) Hawaii has closed all major ports and placed National Guard troops on standby as the Pacific braces for tsunami waves triggered by the massive 8.8 earthquake off Russia. 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And that's where that inundation problem becomes a little bit more possible there.'(reports AP) - China's tsunami warning centre Tsunami in Russia, Japan Live: The colossal 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka coast is tied for the sixth most powerful quake ever recorded, according to the USGS. Officials warn of extensive damage, tsunami risks, and potential economic losses running into tens of billions of dollars.(reports NYT) - US President Donald Trump Mexico's Navy says waves between 30 to 100 centimeters (1 to 3.3 feet) are expected on the Mexican Pacific coast after the tsunami set off by the 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Russia's Far a report, the Navy's tsunami warning center said the waves will begin to reach the northern coast in Ensenada, near California, at around 2:22 a.m. Wednesday central time in Mexico, and it will continue south along the Pacific coast until it reaches the Chiapas states around 7:15 a.m. local time.(reports AP) The province's emergency preparedness agency said waves of less than 30 centimeters (less than 1 foot) were expected to reach Tofino around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday local time. A tsunami advisory spans much of British Columbia's coast and the agency said 'multiple waves over time' were expected. The waves are expected to first reach remote Langara Island around 10:05 p.m.(reports AP) The Consulate General of India in San Francisco is monitoring the potential tsunami threat following the recent 8.7 magnitude earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. Indian nationals in California, other US West Coast states, and Hawaii are advised to take the following steps:Follow Local Alerts: Carefully monitor alerts from US authorities, including local emergency management and the US Tsunami Warning Centres-Move to higher ground if a tsunami alert is issued-Avoid coastal areas.-Prepare for emergency & keep devices Consulate General of India in San Francisco has also issued a helpline number: +1-415-483-6629 Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii declared an emergency on Tuesday ahead of a tsunami that was expected to reach the state within hours, after a rare 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia's eastern and cellphone alerts blared across Hawaii's islands on Tuesday afternoon. The first wave was expected to arrive at 7:10 p.m. local time, the state's emergency authorities said on social media that emergency operations centers had been fully activated, and he urged residents to take the situation seriously."If you are in a coastal area, move inland and to higher ground immediately. Do not wait," he Hawaii's Big Island, a cruise ship docked in Kailua-Kona harbor summoned its passengers back to the boat with a siren. Police officers warned tourists at food trucks to people on Oahu, where Honolulu is situated, did not wait for official advice to seek higher ground, and traffic was dense along mountain the early evacuees was Jaqueline Mylroie, who owns a general store in Puakō, a coastal community on the Big Island, and was trying to find shelter in Waimea, which is on higher ground. Some of her neighbors in Puakō had not left yet, Mylroie earthquake, about 78 miles east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, took place at 7:24 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It could be the sixth-strongest earthquake ever recorded, according to the Geological Survey, whose seismologists often revise the magnitude of earthquakes as they gather more warnings were also issued for Japan's Pacific coast and two eastern regions of Russia, and watches and advisories were in effect along the West Coast of the United States and as far away as Chile. The National Weather Service warned people in California to stay away from beaches and waterways.(reports the New York Times) The first visuals of the tsunami sparked by a massive undersea earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula emerged on Wednesday, showing buildings along the coastline underwater and seawater flooding roads. The video, quickly shared across social media, came just hours after the 8.8 magnitude quake hit near the Russian coast. Read more Tsunami in Russia, Japan Live: Japan's Fire an Disaster Management Agency said so far no injuries or damage have been agency, in response to the tsunami alert, issued an evacuation advisory to more than 900,000 residents in 133 municipalities along Japan's Pacific coast, from Hokkaido to Okinawa. The number of people who actually took shelter was not available. A massive earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula early Wednesday, prompting a tsunami warning across parts of the Pacific. The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the quake occurred at approximately 23:24 GMT on Tuesday, with its epicenter located about 125 km southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a major city in the far eastern region of Russia. Read more Tsunami in Russia, Japan Live: The quake hit at 8:25 a.m. Japan time, with a depth of just 20.7 km — shallow enough to trigger massive surface shaking and tsunamis. Multiple aftershocks followed, one as strong as 6.9, making the situation still volatile. Tsunami in Russia, Japan Live: Japan halted ferries, suspended some trains, and evacuated workers at the Fukushima plant to higher ground. Hawaii sounded tsunami sirens and told residents to act fast. New Zealand and the Philippines issued coastal alerts and told people to stay out of the water. In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, buildings cracked, power lines went down, phones stopped working — but no major casualties so far. Locals fled to high ground as sirens wailed. Officials are warning of aftershocks lasting a month. Russia, Japan Tsunami Alert Live: The earthquake struck off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, with the epicenter located about 119 km east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of 180,000 people. It hit early Wednesday local time and is being called the strongest quake in the region since 1952.
