The year-end holiday rush—usually a bonanza for Thailand and Cambodia’s tourism boards—is faltering this weekend after three weeks of deadly skirmishes on the two countries’ shared border. Travel agents in Delhi and Mumbai told The Times of India that enquiry volumes for Bangkok, Pattaya, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh fell 10-35 percent within 72 hours of the first artillery exchanges. Industry bodies such as the Indian Association of Tour Operators report outright cancellations of 8-18 percent and a much larger wave of itinerary reshuffling.
Indian leisure travellers are instead pivoting to ‘safer-perceived’ short-haul markets that offer visa-on-arrival or quick e-visas, notably Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Japan. Vietnam is the biggest winner: OTA data from EaseMyTrip show India-to-Vietnam bookings up 125 percent year-on-year for the December 25-January 5 window, while Sri Lanka has logged a five-fold rise after slashing visa fees earlier this month. Within India, Goa, Kerala and the Andaman Islands are absorbing demand from families unwilling to risk international disruption.
For travellers sorting out these last-minute switches, VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can centralise the process by displaying the latest visa rules for Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Japan and dozens of other destinations, offering digital document checks and handling e-visa submissions—useful for holidaymakers keen to avoid embassy queues during peak season.
![Border Clashes Push Indians to Reroute New-Year Trips Away From Thailand and Cambodia]()
For mobility managers at Indian multinationals, the episode is a reminder that geopolitical flash-points can up-end even leisure travel at peak season. Companies running incentive trips or MICE events in Southeast Asia are expediting duty-of-care checks and asking insurers to confirm war-risk coverage. HR teams are advising employees to register on the MEA’s MADAD portal and to monitor airline waiver policies before finalising tickets.
In the medium term, Thailand’s damage appears manageable—spending per traveller remains unchanged at ₹1.1–4 lakh—but Cambodian operators fear a longer freeze. Safety perception, flight connectivity and visa ease are now the three top decision drivers cited by Indian customers, eclipsing cost alone. Destination marketing offices across ASEAN are expected to step up joint promotions in early 2026 to retain their share of India’s US $20 billion outbound market.
Practically, travellers already ticketed to Thailand or Cambodia should check airline advisories: most carriers are offering free date changes, though full refunds depend on fare class. Those rerouting to Vietnam or Sri Lanka should verify e-visa processing times (currently 1-3 working days) and ensure travel insurance covers trip-curtailment due to civil unrest.
Indian leisure travellers are instead pivoting to ‘safer-perceived’ short-haul markets that offer visa-on-arrival or quick e-visas, notably Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Japan. Vietnam is the biggest winner: OTA data from EaseMyTrip show India-to-Vietnam bookings up 125 percent year-on-year for the December 25-January 5 window, while Sri Lanka has logged a five-fold rise after slashing visa fees earlier this month. Within India, Goa, Kerala and the Andaman Islands are absorbing demand from families unwilling to risk international disruption.
For travellers sorting out these last-minute switches, VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can centralise the process by displaying the latest visa rules for Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Japan and dozens of other destinations, offering digital document checks and handling e-visa submissions—useful for holidaymakers keen to avoid embassy queues during peak season.
For mobility managers at Indian multinationals, the episode is a reminder that geopolitical flash-points can up-end even leisure travel at peak season. Companies running incentive trips or MICE events in Southeast Asia are expediting duty-of-care checks and asking insurers to confirm war-risk coverage. HR teams are advising employees to register on the MEA’s MADAD portal and to monitor airline waiver policies before finalising tickets.
In the medium term, Thailand’s damage appears manageable—spending per traveller remains unchanged at ₹1.1–4 lakh—but Cambodian operators fear a longer freeze. Safety perception, flight connectivity and visa ease are now the three top decision drivers cited by Indian customers, eclipsing cost alone. Destination marketing offices across ASEAN are expected to step up joint promotions in early 2026 to retain their share of India’s US $20 billion outbound market.
Practically, travellers already ticketed to Thailand or Cambodia should check airline advisories: most carriers are offering free date changes, though full refunds depend on fare class. Those rerouting to Vietnam or Sri Lanka should verify e-visa processing times (currently 1-3 working days) and ensure travel insurance covers trip-curtailment due to civil unrest.
