U.S. Travel Decline Impacts Ahmedabad Tour Operators; Air India Sees 20% Drop in Bookings

U.S. Travel Decline Impacts Ahmedabad Tour Operators; Air India Sees 20% Drop in Bookings Following June Crash. The travel and tourism sector in Ahmedabad is facing a challenging winter season after Air India’s June 2025 crash led to a temporary loss of traveler confidence and a 20% fall in bookings. Coupled with rising inflation, higher gold prices, and a slowdown in foreign travel—especially from the U.S.—tour operators and airlines are struggling to recover, while the hospitality industry braces for reduced winter occupancy despite offering competitive deals and flexible travel options.
U.S. Trip Decline Impacts Ahmedabad Tour Operators; Air India Sees 20% Decline in Bookings After June Crash
Ahmedabad’s travel industry is facing a challenging winter, particularly with bookings to the U.S. and other international destinations. To a large extent, the drop in foreign tourist arrivals, the rise in travel cost, and prolonged geopolitical conflicts have created challenges in the airline and hospitality sectors. In Air India, there has been a 20% drop in bookings after the June 2025 crash, thus there is a serious crisis in Ahmedabad’s tourism sector. While tour operators are trying to resume normal activities, tourists should have access to the most current information to make the most informed travel decisions.
U.S. Travel to Ahmedabad Declines
Previously active travel corridors to the U.S. from Ahmedabad have been stagnating due to a confluence of factors, including higher visa wait times, price of tickets, and a drop in appetite for travel. Recent stats show a drop of 35% in bookings for U.S. originating flights in the last quarter. The reduction is largely the result of changing economic conditions and tighter visa regimes with resultant cutbacks in international travel for business or tourism purposes.
The decline of U.S. travel is affecting local tour operators in Ahmedabad who target North America winter tourists. Weddings, family vacations, and post-Diwali travel seasons for NRIs have been adversely affected because families are being more budget conscious. These operators say that even their winter travel offerings, which are usually very popular, are less queried for long haul destinations, particularly the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
Decreased U.S. Bookings Impact Air India.
India’s Air India is one of the most popular airline carriers and it has seen a drop in bookings, a 20% decline post the AI 171 plane crash of June 2025. The crash happened in Ahmedabad, which led to a decline in bookings and a loss of traveller confidence, making Air India lose more customers than just the proposed bookings for the affected route. Prospective bookings for both domestic and international travel were lost to other airlines. Since the crash, Air India has made deliberate attempts to regain lost customers.
Routes to the U.S., especially to New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, have seen the largest drop in passenger volume. This is because Air India is still working on restoring passenger confidence and claiming the safety record improvements that its customers want. Also, U.S. Air India tickets are now even more expensive, which does not help the situation.
Due to these setbacks, during the upcoming winter season Air India still wants to increase the passenger volume. This is in response to the expected increase in demand which is evident in the airline’s recent announcements, which advertise new international flights and mention, in particular, new discount tickets to the U.S. This is contrary to the industry’s expected timeline for the airline’s recovery from the June incident’s damage.
Response Towards Decline in Bookings by SpiceJet and Airlines
Most Indian airlines, like SpiceJet, are maintaining their flight frequencies and trying to limit the effects of declining bookings even while Air India operates in challenging conditions. In the winter schedule, SpiceJet, more than others, plans to add to their flight network and incorporate 125 new international flights to their network. They hope to serve the demand for more reasonably priced travel, particularly winter family vacations, to international winter destinations.
New SpiceJet routes to destinations like Phuket, Ayodhya, and Jaipur are among the inexpensive domestic travel routes that many Indian families are choosing. These routes are introduced at a time when SpiceJet is investing in more customer service, and together, they probably are going to redeem a sizeable share of travel demand lost to Europe and the US in the last couple of months. Many flexible and reasonably priced travel options will soon be available.
Other airlines, such as IndiGo and Vistara, are also modifying their winter schedules to accommodate the needs of domestic travelers. With foreign tourism lagging, these airlines are pivoting to regional and local travel to serve the market of short-haul tourists.
Hospitality Industry Declines With Dropping Tourism
In Ahmedabad, like the rest of the world, the tourism decline negatively impacts the local hospitality industry. Bookings are slow not just because of the decline in international tourism, but also because of the decline in family and wedding tourism, which traditionally would provide a boost during this time. The winter season, usually a time of high occupancy in hotels, resorts, and other accommodations, is harder to get through because of these factors and rising costs, particularly in the luxury hotel segment which historically has foreign travelers as guests.
In the city, high-end hotels such as Hyatt, Marriott and Taj and other high end accommodations are seeing significantly lower bookings for the season. These hotels are accustomed to clientele consisting of NRI families and international tourists and are seeing and wide downturn. These hoteliers are seeing a downturn and are resorting to discounted rates and packages to attract local and business travelers. Competition, particularly from lower end accommodations, has grown in the last few years and has become a significant challenge.
Nonetheless, some properties are able to keep their bookings by catering to the demands of the wellness and experiential travel market. For example, Ahmedabad’s outskirts resorts target domestic tourists seeking close, value-rich experiences by providing yoga retreats, adventure tourism, and heritage tourism packages.
Advice for Tourists on Ahmedabad Travel
In light of the challenges faced by the travel sector in Ahmedabad, tourists should be up to date on the travel options available to them, along with current conditions, for smoother travel. For those travelers targeting Ahmedabad in the winter season, the tips outlined below should be of assistance.
- Settle on Flights the Soonest Possible. Prices are dynamic, and with demand for close flights on the rise, the length of time between bookings should be minimized. For domestic and international routes, Air India, SpiceJet, and IndiGo are the main carriers, and most offer early bird specials, making it ideal to take advantage of these and finalize the flights early.
- Airline Cancellations and Changes. Due to the Air India crash in June, some flights may be assigned last-minute changes. For long haul, especially international, flights, and Air India in particular, the travel routes should be confirmed with the airline on a regular basis for any changes, delays, or cancellations.
- Look for bundled offers: Different tour operators in Ahmedabad are arranging offers for the winter season that come with certain discounts for stays, guided tours, and travel assistance. Such packages can be beneficial for families as they provide helpful services for families wishing to tour the area in a cost-effective manner.
- Travel on a budget carrier: If you want to save money on air travel, you can travel on budget set by airline companies such as SpiceJet and IndiGo. Both airline companies have recently increased the number of their domestic flights and many of their budget short haul flights travel in certain distance.
- Order accommodation with flexible cancellation policies: It’s a good idea to book stays in certain hotels that have a cancellation policy and offers refund at a certain period in the travel period. In travel disruptions, many hotels in Ahmedabad have been booking to save stays to provide peace of mind for guests.
Winter packages for solo travelers and families in travel season.
For travelers wishing to visit Ahmedabad in winter, there are multiple travel packages to choose from. Ranging from cultural to adventurous tours, each tour caters to a specifis audiences. Family packages are more self-sufficient, offering hotel accommodation, guided tours, and even a meal plan. Candidly, family-friendly activities offered are a tour of the Sabarmati Ashram, the Akshardham Temple, and the Kankaria Lake.
Heritage walks, visits to museums, and street food excursions create an outstanding menu for solo travelers in Ahmedabad. For independent tourists, the city’s fascinating history and culture offer plenty to see and do, and not too much planning is necessary. For a more comprehensive experience, a solo travel package is the recommended option as it will provide a greater understanding of the city’s historical and cultural narratives, as well as day-to-day local life.
What is the Future for Ahmedabad’s Tourism Sector?
In sum, the tourism sector in Ahmedabad will deal with an unfriendly winter, economically. Unconstructive tourism bounces back due to government stimulated economic flows. It helps to alleviate the pressure on tour operators and hoteliers in the area.
The recent improvement of bilateral relations with China, leading to the availability of direct flights to China from Ahmedabad, will bring east travelers. Ahmedabad will also benefit from domestic tourists looking for affordable vacation destinations.
More improvement will come from the development of the city’s airports and ongoing expansion of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. This development will economically benefit and attract both domestic and international tourists to Ahmedabad.
U.S. travel decline has significantly impacted Ahmedabad tour operators, with Air India seeing a 20% drop in bookings following a tragic crash in June 2025. This downturn, coupled with rising inflation and gold prices, has led to a tough winter season for the city’s travel and hospitality industries.
Preparing for Winter Travel in Ahmedabad
There are challenges in the Ahmedabad tourism industry; however, they are not insurmountable, and in fact, they create opportunities for the wise traveler. With the information landscape and pricing models skewed toward the pre- and post-December time frame, the Ahmedabad tourist can optimize their experience when winter travel rolls around.
Air India and SpiceJet have moved their schedules around, and the hotel industry has moved toward flexible pricing with low and high seasons. This indicates demand during the winter periods. Ahmedabad provides diverse culture and heritage no matter the reason for your travels.
For travelers, the current global uncertainty means discounted all-inclusive packages, and offers for advanced bookings. Anticipating your trip to Ahmedabad with all-inclusive discounted packages and advanced booking should make for a satisfying experience with the current global tourism uncertainty.
The post U.S. Travel Decline Impacts Ahmedabad Tour Operators; Air India Sees 20% Drop in Bookings appeared first on Travel And Tour World.