With the February half-term around the corner, many families will be catching some last-minute flights to grab some much-needed winter sun. Some plan to make a quick visit to meet family and friends in India, as the weather slowly warms up after chilly winters, especially in northern parts of India.
UK-India tourism is predicted to see a spike this year with several factors working in its favour. The new Air India flight routes from London Gatwick, including flights to Kerala, upcoming events like the G-20 Summit, 2023 Cricket World Cup, Men’s Hockey World Cup in India, promise to increase tourists travelling to India.
The Indian Bengali diaspora living in the UK, has already started a petition to start direct flights to Kolkata and north-eastern part of India. A reinstatement of these flights will increase air traffic further.
As the UK-India FTA draws almost to a close, besides almost every month a delegation flying to India, according to reports, UK also continues to be a popular destination for Indian travellers. India reportedly have had the highest per centage (28%) of visitor visas granted. More than 258,000 Indian nationals received visit visas in the year ending June 2022, which is a 630% increase compared to the previous year.
But British holidaymakers have been issued with a travel scam warning ahead of the holidays. Airbnb recently reported that Brits have lost up to £1.4k in travel scams on average.
With cost-of-living soaring, and people fearing extravagant prices, as well as tourist traps and scams multiplying, travel agents step forward explaining how they are helping families to plan within budget with necessary precautions.
Families budgeting in advance
Dipti Pradeep Pandya, Director, Serene Holidays told Asian Voice, how the cost of living has impacted families and their budgets. She said, “Cost of living has had an impact on nuclear families as they are now having to budget in advance, as opposed to make holidays decisions a month prior to tours departing.
“But India has become a hot travel destination for 2023, predominantly among the older generation as they have family or residential property to go and live at. The overall cost has reduced for them.”
When asked if scams are affecting travellers and what precautions they advise, Dipti added, “We tell customers it is very important to always book with Tour Operators who are licensed and have years of wealth of knowledge and experience such as 'Serene Holidays' as we are PTS covered and we are also ATOL protected.
“Further to this, I as the company director have over 25 years of experience both in the office carrying out operational duties and on the road with clients handling tours. This is very important to ask at the time of booking how much experience the company has had in the industry.”
Similarly, Hemang Shah, Director, Star Tours talking about the cost of living and its impact on travel said, “The cost of living has had a significant impact on travel. It has made the travelling costs higher, such as accommodation and food, more expensive. This has meant an overall increase in the prices we charge by almost 10% - this has a negative impact on conscious travellers. It has also meant longer more expensive tours are selling at a lower capacity.”
With increasing scams, when asked how they make travellers aware of possible scams, he said, “We provide information to help individuals avoid travel scams. However, to protect themselves from such scams, we advise travellers should be cautious when booking trips if they do not accept our quotes and prices, and that they only deal with reputable and established travel companies who are ABTA and ATOL bonded, be wary of unsolicited offers, not provide personal or financial information to strangers, and verify the authenticity of websites and phone numbers before making any transactions.
“Additionally, whilst they are on tour our Tour manager also emphasises local scams to our travellers – whether in the form of a briefing on the coach or actively avoiding using services not accredited by the local tourism board. We often include an all-inclusive package, so our travellers have all elements booked for them as to avoid overpaying or being scammed.”
Travels increase to India as industry gets more organised and receive government boosting
But Tulsi Ramnath, Operations Manager, Skanda Holidays (UK) Ltd told Asian Voice, that though cost of living crisis is affecting people in general, they feel this has no or little effect to the demography of their own customers. “The type of specialist holidays we do and the standard of products and service we deliver has been overwhelmingly recognised by the travellers both new and regular customers.
“We agree that flight prices have gone high and continuously expected be on the exponential rise. On catering a wider customer base, considering the current economic climate, we at Skanda Holidays have worked with a few airlines and come up with products and flight tickets where customers pay a minimum deposit of £99 per person to lock the current price of the flight ticket or a tour product with no hassle cancellation and pay the rest later before a confirmed departure thereby secure their travel plan with no impact of price rise later.”
When asked, if India is becoming popular as a holiday destination in 2023, especially with the upcoming events, Tulsi affirmed and said, “India followed by the abrogation of article 370, Jammu and Kashmir, Leh, Ladakh destinations have become very popular. Despite higher costs, they always go full and quite often customers need to prebook more than a year in advance.
“Asian travellers who earlier looked for European destinations, have now turned their holiday plans to India, especially to beat the rising costs and security issues in Europe due to the Ukraine-Russia war. Also, they can club visiting relatives with touring parts of India. Family travellers with young children are now targeting school holidays and even for short haul trips, are considering India as their preferred destination.
“We see volume of travellers visiting India has increased dramatically since post pandemic. In recent days, our branch office in India has become extremely busy delivering services in India as the prime holiday destination for our customers from the UK, Europe and America, in particular, for British Asian and Asian American travellers. With more organised and regulated travel sector than before and a boost from Indian central government matching and often exceeding European standards, we are able to deliver impeccable services throughout India, across all regions, including North and South.”
However, Tulsi is aware of the increasing number of scams affecting travellers, especially as they try to grab too good to be true cheap deal. Cautioning travellers, he added, “At Skanda Holidays, our prime aspect of briefing involves keeping our customers and travellers in general informed about precautions and how to avoid scammers. Though common-sense approach is needed by travellers in general, we urge travellers to follow the basics, namely, check for ATOL, ABTA and IATA regulated companies. Though some travellers compare cheaper products especially with ones directly purchased at the destinations, this is very dangerous and 99% chances of getting cheated as they are never regulated. You never know if the services will be offered when you get to the destination, even if so, will it be safe and secure.
“Sometimes people think, paying by card often gives them security but they don’t realise that terms and conditions in different regional jurisdiction varies. The best-known scams are flight tickets, well known and well-established big travel companies in the UK advertise of lower price on a ticket say to India, but later customers are surprised and left puzzled with hidden costs, ending up paying much more.
“Other types of scams include selling a non-available flight ticket at an unbelievable low cost. We urge travellers to not get carried away with price. We recommend travellers to make an informed decision in choosing their travel agent and tour operators, preferably recommended by travellers who have used their services earlier.”
The experts at Scams.info have provided their top tips to ensure that holidaymakers don't get caught out this half-term.
- Transport - When taking trips abroad, it’s vital to consider how you will travel throughout the country beforehand. Unregulated airport taxis could take advantage of the fact that you aren't local and may be uneducated on typical fares. As a result, you could be charged extremely high rates or taken to the incorrect destination which pay the taxi a finder's fee, rather than the hotel, restaurant or particular business you requested.
To avoid this, travellers should always research reliable, licensed taxi firms rather than getting into the first one they see. In most countries, taxi drivers are required to carry and display their ID badge in the vehicle. Always ask the driver what the fare will be, before starting the journey. If the driver refuses to show you their ID or pre-warn you of fares, book with another taxi firm and do not enter the vehicle.
- Hotel and Accommodation - When booking accommodation online, ensure to fully research the facility before booking. Look for reviews with images and check to make sure it’s a registered building. More and more adverts are appearing to show accommodation that isn’t real, outdated, and different to the visuals provided. By booking through reputable travel agencies, you can avoid illegitimate accommodation as the agency will cover all the above bases for you.
- Public WiFi - Most hosts will offer holidaymakers the services of their shared public WiFi. Whilst this is convenient, it's key to remember that public WiFi may not be as secure as your private network at home. When browsing the internet, make sure you don’t use sites and apps that involve inputting personal information, like contact details or bank card details. Alternatively, you can download a VPN, which will allow you to block any unwarranted third-party companies from accessing your data.
- Pickpockets - Pickpocketing is the oldest scam in the book, but now more than ever, scammers are becoming increasingly creative. Scammers may interact with you directly, to allow time for a third party to steal from under your nose whilst you’re distracted. When in crowded, public spaces, it’s always vital to keep your personal belongings close by. It’s best practice to leave valuables at home, but if you must bring them with you, store them in a money belt or bum bag to prevent theft.
- Activities and excursions - When booking excursions or additional activities during your trip, always book through an official company. Some illegitimate companies may lack the health and safety precautions necessary to keep you safe abroad. The safest option is to book any extra activities or excursions directly through the official travel agency that you booked your trip with. If you choose to book with a third-party, thoroughly research the company beforehand and always look at previous customer reviews.
- Photography - It’s important to note that no landmark will have official photographers. Companies that claim to do so are likely to insist that only their photos are permitted, but this is just a ploy to force you into paying them for something that is otherwise free. To avoid this, always consult staff working in or nearby landmarks as they will likely have great general knowledge of the area and be able to advise you on any photography regulations.
