The Israel-Hamas conflict has come as another blow to India’s travel sector, which is recovering from the impact of the pandemic, and more recently, the suspension of visa services for Canadians.
Travel between Israel and India will be affected both ways due to the war, members of travel associations in India said.
"Flights from India to Tel Aviv are right now suspended, so no travel will happen. This (Israel-Hamas war) is more concerning for us (India) as a large number of Israeli youngsters, after finishing their military training, would travel to India for unwinding,” Rajiv Mehra, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, told.
“Now, the whole ecosystem including hotels, restaurants and transporters would be affected. Youngsters, backpackers form a major chunk of those travelling to India from Israel. While there are business and leisure travellers, the number is relatively small," Mehra said.
Air India cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 14. The full-service carrier operates five weekly flights to Tel Aviv from the national capital and is the only airline to operate flights to Israel.
"The conflict will affect travel in the peak season. This was the first normal year post 2019-20 after the pandemic-affected years. But first the Canadian issue and now this – it has dampened our spirits," Mehra added.
Peak season
Arrivals from Israel reached a peak of 73,137 in 2019, according to India Tourism statistics 2022 data. While visitors from Israel to India dropped significantly to 4,601 in 2021, about 53 percent of them came during the peak October to December season, according to a Business Standard report.
Foreign tourist arrivals in India fell 44 percent to over 1.5 million in 2021.
"Air India was flying non-stop from India to Israel, and Israel became a very popular destination for Indians of late because of better connectivity and lack of Schengen visa appointments. We also saw a lot of business traffic to Israel. Since the war, cancellations have increased and Indians are no longer traveling. As far as inbound is concerned, currently, it's at a standstill," said Mohak Nahta, founder of Atlys, an online visa application platform.
October marks the beginning of the peak travel season in India. As the conflict deepens, it will have an increasing impact on travel to and from the Middle Eastern region for leisure, meetings, conferences and exhibitions, tourism and business, said Aashish Gupta, consulting CEO of the Federation of Associations in Tourism and Hospitality.
The tension between India and Canada and now the Israel-Hamas war have affected all travel segments, just as Indian tourism was looking to recover from the dampening effects of Covid.
"The increase in oil prices resulting from this conflict, which had already risen due to the Russia-Ukraine war, and the resulting inflationary pressures will impact air fares," Gupta said.
According to the International Air Transport Association, the price of jet fuel increased almost 150 percent in the past year.
An analysis by trade body Airports Council International noted that flight rates in India surged the most in Asia Pacific in 2023, with a 41 percent increase in the first quarter of 2023.
Gupta said that due to the ongoing conflict, it is necessary to focus on attracting visitors from other markets.
"It is even more critical now that our India tourism marketing efforts become intense in our other source markets to support inbound tourism," he said.