Dubai-bound Indian tourists cancel flights, travel plans amidst devastating floods

Torrential rains have battered a number of Indian states over the past few days, with floodwaters entering homes and inundating roads

SM Ayaz Zakir

Published: Sat 22 Jul 2023, 3:50 PM

Last updated: Sun 23 Jul 2023, 3:21 PM

Several Indian tourists who had been looking forward to enjoying a Dubai holiday have had to either cancel or postpone their trips as monsoon floods hit their home towns.

Torrential rains have battered a number of Indian states over the past few days, with floodwaters entering homes and inundating roads. The violent weather have reportedly impacted domestic and international travel, and service providers have had to deal with interruptions and cancellations due to several inaccessible transit routes.

Alok Kumar, a businessman based in Delhi, was supposed to take his family to Dubai on July 18.

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Along with his family and friends, he had booked flights and accommodation through a travel agent — but all plans had to be given up due to non-stop rains.

“My friends and their families had to reach Delhi from Kanpur, Bhopal, and Surat. We faced train transport disruptions, and even buses were not hitting the roads. So it was difficult for us to move ahead with our plan,” said Kumar.

Kumar had previously been to Dubai on business trips, but for his family, the scheduled holiday would be their first time in the city.

"My daughter and wife are a bit disheartened. But I have promised them a vacation as soon as the situation normalises,” he said.

Nadeem Saifi, a tourist from New Delhi, said he was about to book tickets to Dubai for the third week of July but cancelled his travel plans.

"My wife and I were looking forward to our vacation in Dubai, but with the floods affecting my home town, we decided to postpone our trip. It’s disheartening to see the devastation caused by the floods in my city,” said Saifi.

“The situation in my neighbourhood is better now. Hopefully, we can plan our vacation in the coming days,” he added.

Similarly, a cloth manufacturer from Surat, Rajesh Sharma, planned a business trip on July 20, but due to heavy rain, he also had to cancel his visit.

“I got in touch with a few wholesalers and designers in Dubai. I decided to travel to get a better idea of the GCC market. But the floodwater entered my shop, and I needed to stay back,” said Sharma.

“Now that I have postponed my travel, I am planning to visit when the temperatures are slightly lower in October. I hope to go with my family so the trip will be for both business and leisure."

UAE-based airlines' operations to and from several states in north India have not been impacted.

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