A Crisis of Trust

India’s hospitality and travel sectors are standing today at a dangerous turning point. On one side, we see booming tourism, world-class hotels, expanding air connectivity, and a nation proud of its cultural wealth. On the other side, we see ordinary Indians increasingly pushed out of the very experiences that should define a modern, confident country. The reason is simple: exorbitant, unethical, and unpredictable pricing that has turned travel from a joy into a financial burden. Nothing illustrates this more sharply than today’s reality, where a hotel room costing `10,000 on a normal weekday suddenly jumps to `1.5–2 lakh during a festival, long weekend, or special event. At the same time, domestic flights that normally cost `4,000 climb to `35,000 or even `50,000 without warning. These price explosions are not minor fluctuations. They are violations of trust, fairness, and basic hospitality ethics. Dynamic pricing is understandable when rooted in reasonable market behaviour. But what we see today is not dynamic it is distorted. A hotel that charges `2 lakh for the same `10,000 room has not added luxury, staff, or service overnight. A flight that sells at `40,000 on Friday but `4,000 on Monday has not suddenly faced a tenfold increase in fuel cost. These price hikes are not driven by genuine factors; they are driven by opportunism. It is a strategy built on exploiting demand, not serving it.

The Indian middle class, the backbone of domestic tourism, carries the heaviest burden. Families planning a vacation now hesitate to even begin the search, fearing they will be greeted by shocking hotel and airline rates. A wedding in another city becomes a budget crisis. A student traveling for an exam finds the flight ticket more expensive than the application fee. Pilgrims visiting spiritual destinations, where travel should be simplest and most humane face inflated hotel tariffs that undermine the very purpose of their journey. The emotional cost of this exploitation is as damaging as the financial one.The problem becomes worse when airlines join the same game. A Chennai–Delhi flight costing `4,000 on a regular day suddenly becomes `25,000 or `40,000 during holiday season or high demand. Many travellers now comment, only half-jokingly, that a ticket to Dubai is cheaper than a ticket to Goa. The fact that this is often true speaks to the severity of the issue. Airlines argue that prices rise because of fuel, operational costs, and capacity but no operational challenge justifies fares skyrocketing by 800–900% in 24 hours. This is no longer a service; it is a financial trap.

As a result, a disturbing pattern is emerging across India: people are traveling less, cancelling more, and trusting the system less. Travel, which should bring people closer to their culture and country, is now pushing them away. Instead of discovering India, travellers find themselves navigating a minefield of unpredictable pricing. Instead of planning holidays, they spend hours refreshing websites hoping rates might drop. Instead of getting excited about travel, they get anxious. This crisis also damages India’s international reputation. The country promotes “Incredible India” with pride, but foreign visitors are stunned when they see a `10,000 room listed at `1,80,000 or a short flight priced higher than an international ticket. Social media is full of screenshots exposing absurd pricing. For a nation aspiring to become a global tourism leader, this perception is dangerous. Tourists expect warmth, fairness, and transparency not a system that appears determined to cash in on every opportunity.

The worst exploitation, however, occurs in pilgrimage destinations. Places of devotion, meant for spiritual peace, have become hotspots of uncontrolled commercial greed. During peak season, even basic lodges raise rates to unreasonable levels. Devotees who travel with faith and simplicity are forced into difficult choices: stay far away, pay exorbitant prices, or abandon their plans entirely. When faith becomes expensive, something deeper than business suffers the moral foundation of hospitality itself. If this trend continues unchecked, the long-term consequences will be severe. Travellers will avoid peak seasons entirely, domestic holidays will decline, and families will choose foreign destinations because they offer better value and fairness. Small businesses dependent on tourism from local transport to handicraft vendors will suffer. Airlines and hotels may earn short-term profits, but the industry as a whole will lose something far more precious: public trust.

India urgently needs a conversation on ethical travel practices. Hospitality is not merely a business it is a reflection of national character. Airlines and hotels must understand that mobility and access are not privileges for a few; they are essential rights in a modern society. Pricing should be transparent, predictable, and fair. While businesses must remain free to operate, freedom without responsibility leads to exploitation. When self-regulation fails, regulatory oversight becomes necessary. India is already regulating essential sectors medicine prices, telecom tariffs, LPG, electricity, even cab surge pricing. There is no reason hotels and airlines should remain exceptions. Reasonable price caps during peak seasons, transparent justification for extraordinary increases, protection for pilgrimage travellers, and improved competition in aviation are all essential steps. Without such interventions, the market will continue rewarding exploitation over service.

Travel should enrich lives, create memories, strengthen bonds, and open minds. It should not empty savings, create anxiety, or punish people for wanting to explore their own country. A `10,000 room should not become `2 lakh simply because the calendar changed. A `4,000 flight should not become `40,000 simply because demand increased for a weekend. A nation that dreams of becoming a global tourism power must first ensure that its own citizens can afford to travel within their motherland. When ordinary people feel priced out, excluded, and exploited, the real loss is not money it is trust. And trust, once broken, is not easily restored. India’s hospitality and aviation sectors stand today not just in a business challenge but in a moral one. They must decide whether they wish to build a sustainable, people-centric travel ecosystem or continue down a path where short-term greed destroys long-term growth.

The crisis of trust is real, and the message from travellers is clear make travel fair again. Because when citizens feel unwelcome in their own country, the cost to the nation is far greater than the price of a ticket or a room.

The writer is a social activist and columnist working at the grassroots level to bridge public concern with policy action.