No visible impact of new Covid-19 sub-variant on travel bookings in India

Things are well under control at the moment with no visible impact of the new Covid-19 BF.7 sub-variant on travel bookings during the ongoing holiday season or even advanced bookings in the near term, a cross-section of Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), airlines and airport operators have told Business Today.

“The Indian travel & tourism industry has not seen any visible impact of the new coronavirus variant,” co-founder of one of the country’s leading OTAs, EaseMyTrip, Rikant Pittie, told BT. Assuring that the industry was well placed to adapt to any change in guidelines, he added, “We do not expect the travel industry to be significantly affected.”

“We are keeping a close watch on the developments,” a spokesperson at the country’s largest OTA, MakeMyTrip assured, adding, “At this point, it’s business as usual!”

Following a December 23 directive from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to implement the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare’s (MoHFW) Covid-19 guidelines, international airports across India have put in place measures to curb the virus’ spread.

“Abiding by the latest guidelines issued by MoHFW, and in the wake of the current Covid-19 situation, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has put together measures to curb the spread of the virus. Basis the latest guidelines brought into effect from December 24, 2 per cent of all international passengers arriving at CSMIA shall undergo random post-arrival testing at the airport,” informed a spokesperson at the country’s second busiest airport.

Such travellers, identified by the airline crew, will be guided to a dedicated area in the terminal building for an RT-PCR test.

“We do see the reinstatement of health regulations, including Air Suvidha and the requirement for the RT-PCR test for certain overseas arrivals which will help in containing the spread in early stages,” said EaseMyTrip’s Pittie.

Denying any impact on their loads, major scheduled Indian carriers IndiGo, Air India, Vistara and Go First said they were, however, monitoring the situation closely.

“In the near term, we don’t see cancellations arising out of the discovery of the new Covid variant,” an airline official emphasised.

Health experts have opined that unlike in neighbouring China, which had imposed a stringent zero Covid policy, the gradual easing of the Covid-19-induced lockdowns in India had resulted in a large section of the population developing herd immunity.

“Air travel in India has not been impacted much. In December 2022, India may be recording one of the highest passenger load factors (PLFs) per day by carrying close to 5 lakh international and domestic passengers daily,” a confident CEO of regional carrier IndiaOne Air, Arun Kumar Singh told BT.

The previous high was recorded in November 2019, when more than 5 lakh passengers travelled daily on all airlines.

Also read: Serum Institute seeks drug regulator's approval for market authorisation of its Covid vaccine as booster dose

Also read: Bharat Biotech's nasal Covid vaccine to cost Rs 325 for govt, Rs 800 for private hospitals