Ranchi: With summer vacations around the corner, soaring airfares have emerged as a major hurdle for travellers from the state planning trips to their favourite destinations.A spike in ticket prices, after airlines implemented a fuel charge on domestic and international flights owing to the West Asia conflict, has forced many travellers to either postpone their plans or seek alternative modes.Flight tickets from Ranchi to Delhi are priced between Rs 8,800-11,000 from the usual Rs 4,000-5,000 for various airlines. Similarly, airfares on Kolkata-bound flights have skyrocketed to a maximum of Rs 14,000, from the usual around Rs 4,000. Domestic destinations, including Jammu and Kashmir, Shimla, Manali and northeastern states, are much-sought after by travellers from Ranchi.“Most of the destinations do not have direct flights from Ranchi. Travellers have no option but to fly to Delhi or Kolkata for connecting flights. With airfares going up, most have either cancelled their trips as they wait for the situation to stabilise, or are opting for trains,” said Pratik Jain, a travel operator in the city.He added that the global geopolitical tensions are also reshaping travel preferences. The ongoing conflict between Iran and the US-Israel has created uncertainty among travellers, prompting many to cancel their trips to European countries. “Customers are now opting for Southeast Asian destinations such as Thailand and Vietnam,” Jain said.Another tour agent, Mayank Vijayvargiya, said that unlike a rush of inquiries since mid-March last year, this time he has got just two so far.“One of the groups inquired about a Kerala trip in May, and the other about Dubai in June. The decreased inquiries is a cause for concern. If the situation does not improve in the next 15-20 days, the tourism season will be a disaster for us,” he added.
