Holiday makers told to check status prior to travel

MUSCAT, MAY 29 - Travel operators have been told to advise travellers to ensure that all procedures are in place before they embark on a trip.

With most hotels in popular summer destinations are expected to witness heavy occupancy, both travellers are requested to ensure that bookings are confirmed by the hotel or travel operators. The Ministry of Tourism in Oman in a statement to the inbound tourists said, “With Oman becoming an increasingly popular destination, it is very important that you plan in advance and book the accommodation before you arrive.” With bookings mostly done online, the travellers should fact check their documents at every stage, especially the date of travel, it said.

“Very often people casually book air ticket for a date other than what they actually wish to travel for. They cross check only a few hours prior their travel, making it virtually impossible to rectify the error either due to higher fares or non-availability of tickets,” said Ranjith Mathur, a victim of one such situation. “I just don’t wish to remember that particular episode because the money lost is unimaginable for a single casual mistake. Because sometimes customers are too overconfident with their abilities,” he said. Same is the case with hotel bookings and guests need to be extra careful while travelling with families.

“Most online bookings are not done directly with the hotels or travel agencies. Clients do make payments online and get the confirmation too, but the details are not passed on to the property,” said a senior executive of a popular property in Dubai. He added, “Very often guests come to us with such issues at the time of high occupancy. We feel helpless as it is very painful to turn away any customers, especially those arriving with families.”