Falling rupee crashes foreign holiday dreams

CHANDIGARH: The downward slide of the rupee vis-A-vis the dollar has derailed the dreams of many city residents to visit abroad during this holiday season. Trips to favourite destinations like Thaliand and Mauritius are dearer by almost Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000. Schools eager to send their wards for summer exchange programmes too are having second thoughts.

Deepak Sharma, a travel agent, says, “In the past few months, we have got several inquiries from schools eager to take students abroad for academic programmes. But the hike in the rate of the dollar has forced them to cancel their trips as the cost has increased by Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per student.”

Vikas, another travel agent, says, “Not only the price of the ticket has been affected, but also that of hotel accommodation. Conveyance charges, which are already high due to the vacations, also go up. This has affected the budget of many people, leading to cancellations.”

Even businessmen are thinking twice before booking their flights. Amit, a travel agent, says, “The maximum number of people affected because of the hike is the businessmen. They generally make two to three trips abroad in a month. They get the bookings done earlier because of the vacations but are now canceling them.”

I and my friends had planned a trip to Singapore and Malaysia. But we had to cancel the trip because of the hike in the rate of dollar
Ansh Monga | student, sd college

This time I have cancelled our family trip abroad as the cost has risen by Rs 1 lakh
Tushar Unadkat | businessman, sector 22

I have to go to Singapore thrice a month, but now I plan to make one trip only
Abhinandan | businessman, sec 28

Falling rupee crashes foreign holiday dreams