Holiday travel amidst Elections

Every year, after the exams are over in schools and before the beginning of the new academic year, families head out for holidays together. It can be to the mountains in the North, or the seaside in the South. It’s fun time… for them, and for the travel fraternity that normally pulls in a lot of business at this time of the year.

2014, however, is going to be a lean time both for travel and tour operators and hotels in April/May, because of the Elections starting from the second week of April and ending in the third week of May. People are very enthusiastic about their voting rights, especially first-time young voters. Bookings domestically have taken a beating… even international travel is at an all-time low.

With the entire country going to the polls, most people feel it would be sensible to ‘stay put’ at home this summer. They are still wary of travelling to Thailand, and now Malaysia will not be the first-on-mind destination, at least for a few months. Singapore will, nevertheless, continue to be popular as a three-to-four day trip.

The industry is hoping that there will be a jump in travel as soon as elections are over, while summer holidays are still on. There is also talk about the Rupee gaining ground against the Dollar. This would translate to international airfares becoming a little more affordable, which would help parents travelling to their children studying abroad.

Thinking out-of-the-box, ‘Election Tourism’ is the new sales concept. Taking groups on guided tours of active election areas with a feeling of safety and in a controlled environment is a novel idea, especially for people who want to see how elections take place in the world’s largest democracy.