&w=3840&q=100)
West Asia conflict sends India tourists to safer Southeast destinations
Online travel portals, tour operators, agents have reported a sharp rise in rescheduling over the past few days, with 25-30% of Indian travellers postponing or altering plans to Western destinations
Gulveen Aulakh New Delhi
Listen to This Article
Indian leisure and business travellers are deferring or cancelling trips to West Asia, Europe, and the United States (US) amid heightened regional tensions following the Israel-Iran war that also affected Qatar and prompted airspace closures across several Gulf nations, disrupting one of the world's busiest travel corridors.
Online travel portals, tour operators, and agents have reported a sharp rise in rescheduling over the past few days, with 25-30 per cent of Indian travellers postponing or altering plans to Western destinations. They are increasingly choosing Southeast Asian countries —Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia — over West-bound destinations, with a spike
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Too hard on brain': Flight phobia grips travellers after Ahmedabad Air India crash; bookings drop & cancellations spike
This is a representational AI image 'I'm bloody terrified currently,' this is how people are reacting when it comes to taking flights after Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12. The flying anxiety has skyrocketed among flyers after the deadly incident that claimed 242 lives, with many taking experts' help to overcome the 'flying fear.' A wave of panic has gripped flyers and led to a sharp surge in fear-of-flying therapy requests, ticket cancellations, and unusually specific questions about aircraft types. Dinesh K, a retired Indian Air Force wing commander and founder of Cockpit Vista, told Reuters that demand for his $500 therapy course has exploded since the Air India flight crash incident. "Fear of flying is typically to do with things happening on an aeroplane - the sounds, motion, vibrations ... exposure therapy is the only solution," Dinesh told Reuters. His centre used to receive about 10 enquiries a month. Since the crash, it's logged over 100. Crash footage sparks anxiety Chilling videos of the Dreamliner bursting into flames shortly after take-off have gone viral across social media. It's not just fuelling fear, it's inducing insomnia, panic attacks, obsessive checking of flight trackers, and even refusal to let loved ones fly, say mental health professionals, according to Reuters. Some people are unable to focus on daily life while a loved one is flying, said psychologist Pankti Gohel, describing cases of "debilitating anxiety". According to Google Trends, searches for "flying fear" in India peaked the day after the crash and remain high. Airlines under scrutiny, bookings nosedive The impact is being felt across the travel industry. Tour operators report a dramatic drop in bookings and a spike in cancellations, especially on Air India routes. "Flight bookings are down by 15–20%. Cancellations are up by 30–40%," Ravi Gosain, president of the Indian association of tour operators, told Reuters. Even more telling: Travellers are now filtering bookings by aircraft type, actively avoiding Dreamliners and Boeing planes. "People don't want to hear about Dreamliners," he added. For many flyers in India, the crash and its terrifying visuals were a psychological tipping point. While flying remains statistically one of the safest modes of transport, with only 1.87 accidents per million departures in 2023, emotions, not stats, are now driving decisions.
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
Assam tea's 200-year legacy to shine at Summer Fancy Food Show 2025 in New York
Guwahati : The timeless aroma and legacy of Assam Tea will take center stage at the Summer Fancy Food Show 2025 , to be held at the Jacob Javits Center, New York City, from June 29 to July 1, 2025. This year marks the 200th anniversary of Assam Tea, a milestone that honours the origin, global journey, and economic significance of India's most iconic brew. The India Pavilion , which will house a specially designed 'Tea Lounge', will be jointly inaugurated by Ravi Kota, Chief Secretary of Assam, and Ambassador Binaya S. Pradhan, Consul General of India in New York, on Sunday, June 29. At the behest of the Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, and initiated and supported by the Consulate General of India in New York, this initiative follows the success of Advantage Assam 2.0 held earlier this year. It aims to not only promote Assam's rich tea heritage but also to expand trade and export opportunities in the U.S. market. By bringing together established tea companies, small growers, and innovative startups, the event embodies a unified vision of heritage, entrepreneurship, and international collaboration, fostering deeper economic and cultural ties between the two largest democracies in the world. The 'Assam Tea Lounge' will offer visitors an immersive experience through thoughtfully curated live brewing bars, sommelier-led tasting sessions, and artisan tea pairings with cookies, chocolates, and more. Visitors can explore the evolution of Assam Tea through engaging storytelling sessions, video interviews with tea growers, and showcases on sustainability, women-led cooperatives, and certifications like Rainforest Alliance. The space will also be adorned with Assamese design elements — from visuals of tea gardens and local crafts to musical and dance performances that highlight the state's rich cultural tapestry. In celebration of the bicentennial, the booth will also feature a 'Masala Chai Cart,' a tea passport giveaway programme, and collaboration with partners like 'Kolkata Chai Co., Elements Truffles', and celebrated Indian chefs for dessert and cocktail demos infused with Assam Tea. Assam's tea journey began in 1823, when Scottish explorer Robert Bruce discovered the indigenous Camellia assamica plant with the help of the Singpho tribe. With the first commercial plantation starting in 1837 and India's first Indian-owned tea estate founded by Maniram Dewan in 1842, Assam rapidly became a pillar of the global tea trade. Today, Assam remains the largest contiguous tea-growing region in the world, producing over 52% of India's total tea output, including robust CTC, orthodox, organic, and GI-tagged teas. The event will also bring together major industry players, including the India Tea Association, Tata Consumer Products Ltd. , Goodricke Group , Luxmi Tea, HUL , Woolah Tea, and Aromica Tea, among others, with active participation from the Indian diaspora and global food industry stakeholders. Institutions like the Tocklai Tea Research Institute and platforms like the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) continue to support Assam's global competitiveness through innovation and transparent trade.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
‘That's China': Indian Entrepreneur Travels 1,600 Km For A Meeting And Still Makes It Back Home For Sleep
Last Updated: The Indian entrepreneur's story highlights how 'convenient' travelling is in China. An Indian entrepreneur has whipped up an online storm after sharing his seemingly unbelievable travel story. Akash Bansal, the co-founder of the company Skyvik, revealed that he covered an extraordinary 1,600 km journey from one city in China to another in a single day. Reason? To attend a 3-hour meeting. That's not all. The entrepreneur, in an elaborate X post, said that after wrapping up his work, he returned home just to sleep comfortably in his own bed. Akash's story highlights how 'convenient" travelling is in China. The co-founder began his post by saying, 'So, I travelled 1600 km in a single day for a 3-hour meeting and was not dead by the end. This shows how convenient life in China is. I took a train in the morning, travelled 800 km one way, had a meeting, and returned at night to sleep in my bed." In the follow-up post, Akash Bansal emphasised the easy boarding process and 'massive" stations in China. He wrote, 'Stations are massive. You enter the platform just 10 minutes before departure, and the gates open on both sides, east and west. You simply scan your national ID or passport at the scanner, and the door opens. Let's say you arrive early. Go to the counter, and they will change your ticket to an earlier train. How sick is that?" Lauding the systematic approach, he added, 'They have thousands of seating capacity at the stations, and almost 30 percent are massage chairs. You pay around 100 Rupees and wait while receiving a massage. Everything is just so systematic, no nonsense at all." On a concluding note, the company head shared, 'Once I reached a station half an hour early, a security person approached me, checked my ticket, and took me to the counter to change it for a train that was departing in the next 10 minutes. Mind you, I said nothing; this fellow did all this on his own. He could have ignored me." The Internet had much to say about the post. 'That's truly impressive! The efficiency and convenience of China's high-speed rail system sound like they transform travel into a seamless experience. It highlights what's possible with modern infrastructure and efficient systems, making long distances feel short," noted a user. That's truly impressive! The efficiency and convenience of China's high-speed rail system sound like they transform travel into a seamless experience. It highlights what's possible with modern infrastructure and efficient systems, making long distances feel short.— Simon P (@simonkp) June 25, 2025 Another quipped, 'Crazy speed. With this speed, Delhi to Jaipur will only take 1 hour." crazy speed 😭 is speed se toh delhi to jaipur 1 ghanta lage bas— Shubh (@kadaipaneeeer) June 24, 2025 'We need to observe, appreciate, imbibe and implement any good thing that is anywhere in any part of the world. This is how we grow," noted someone else. We need to observe, appreciate, imbibe and implement any good thing that is anywhere in any part of the world. This is how we grow.— Dr. Rajat Rawat MD, DM (@TheRajatRawat) June 25, 2025 So far, the video has received over 1.4 million views.
