Pune: A weaker rupee and elevated airfare may weigh heavily on international travel this festive season. The rupee is currently hovering around Rs95.7 to the US dollar, compared with around Rs84 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 even mainstream domestic destinations are much higher than usual,” said Khushbu Choksey, a resident of Aundh.Travel agents have marked tour packages 20–25% higher with airfares on several international routes rising sharply. “There’s a moderation in enquiries since a long time. 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 their budgets, people are looking to book destinations which offer overall better rates.” Mehboob Shaikh, chairperson of Travel Agents Association of India, Central and South, Maharashtra Chapter, said, “People are opting for less expensive international destinations and offbeat domestic destinations. Within India, offbeat destinations like Wayanad, Chikmagalur, Gokarna, Dandeli are seeing great interest.”“Travellers are becoming selective, with value and distinctive experiences taking precedence,” said S.D. Nandakumar, President & Country Head, Holidays & Corporate Tours, SOTC Travel. “Southeast Asia is gaining attention through destinations such as Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos while Sri Lanka and Bhutan offer compelling shorter-haul alternatives for travellers looking beyond the more established international markets,” he added.Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head, Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, said airfare remains the highest contributor to the trip cost, while visa, travel insurance and other mandatory costs add to the budget. “This festive season, the average spend for a 5–7-day international holiday is around Rs 1.25-1.5 lakh per person for short-haul destinations and Rs 2.5-3 lakh per person for long-haul travel.“
