AusLeisure

Political unrest in Bangkok and volcanic ash eruptions in Europe have resulted in a rise in visitor numbers to destinations including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong.

Tourist traffic through the northern hemisphere summer season is diverting to these locations, generating a 25-30% rise in bookings.

Travellers who had booked their holiday packages for Thailand and European destinations are left with a few options, either to cancel their bookings or postpone their trips. However, some have just transferred their booking to other nations. This has resulted in big business for destinations like Kuala Lumpur and Macao.

As Kapil Goswamy, Managing Director of New Delhi-based Trans World Travels explains "June is going to be fully booked for Singapore and Malaysia. They are going to get over 25% extra traffic this season."

While Bangkok bookings are being diverted to Asian regions, European cancellations are diverted mainly to the US. Richa Goyal Sikri, director, group business development, STIC Travel highlights that "it is mainly people who have combined packages of Bangkok-Phuket, who are cancelling their travel plans. Similarly, people who had plans for Europe are choosing to go to the US now."

The additional traffic, however, does not mean extra money. There has been no impact on pricing as of now with the sudden growth in demand. According to travel firms, the reason why it has not affected demand is that there was already an inventory with hoteliers and airlines.

Image: Penang's Kek Lok Si Buddhist temple.

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