Weaker rupee and costly airfares make seasonal international travel unviable

PUNE: A weaker rupee and elevated airfare may weigh heavily on international travel this festive season. The rupee is currently hovering around Rs 95.7 to the US dollar, compared with around Rs 84 a year ago. This raises the cost of forex, hotels and spending abroad, making an overseas holiday cost significantly more.“The cost of travelling overseas has gone up by 15-20% compared to last year. US and Europe are out of budget; even destinations like Vietnam and Singapore are significantly expensive,” said Rohan D’Souza, a resident of Wanowrie.“We are considering offbeat domestic destinations for the festive season because fares for mainstream domestic destinations are higher than usual,” said Khushbu Choksey, a resident of Aundh.“There’s a moderation in enquiries. Compared with 2025, enquiries for discretionary international travel this festive season are down by 10-15%. Europe, the UK and parts of Southeast Asia are seeing noticeable festive-season premiums.The sharpest increase can be seen on popular and high-demand festive routes, with airfares and hotel rates 15-25% higher than regular-season levels,” said Rikant Pittie, CEO and Co-founder, EaseMyTrip.Nilesh Bhansali, president of Travel Agents Association of Pune, said, “Unable to match budgets, people are booking destinations which offer better rates.” Mehboob Shaikh, chairperson of Travel Agents Association of India, Maharashtra Chapter, said, “People are opting for less expensive international destinations and offbeat domestic destinations. Offbeat destinations like Wayanad, Chikmagalur, Gokarna, Dandeli are seeing great interest.”