02 October 2008

India tourism faces twin threats

NEW DELHI: IndiaÃ¢â¬â¢s tourism industry has been hit by the recent bomb blasts in the capital, but the slowing world economy and spiraling inflation in the country is of equal concern.

In an email to clients, Rajeev Kohli, Ã¢â¬~¨director of marketingÃ¢â¬~¨ for Creative Travel India, said, Ã¢â¬ÅâœSeptember had its shares of ups and downs. A few bomb attacks took place that I know did shake up our partners overseas, but we are a resilient country and a strong people.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœThese events are nothing new to us in India and unfortunately neither to the world any longer.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœBut let me assure you - India is a safe destination for travellers to visit,Ã¢â¬~ said Kohli.

He went on, Ã¢â¬ÅâœThe global recession still worries us. Things seem to be going from bad to worse. I know many of us in the Indian industry have been talking amongst ourselves on what we need to do and we are pressing the hotels to see if price corrections are in order.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœDropping prices is not a fix-it-all pill but we cannot ignore the signals and effects a positive price correction would have on our marketability as a destination.Ã¢â¬~ Ã¢â¬~¨

The Times of India reports that tourist inflow has Ã¢â¬Åâœdeclined alarminglyÃ¢â¬~ since the blast on September 13 claimed 25 lives with a large number of cancellations being reported.

The paper claims tourism industry sources say that both international and domestic tourists are shying away from visiting Delhi. This is having a cascading impact on popular tourist destinations like Agra and Jaipur.

"The majority of the foreign tourists opt for package of Delhi-Agra-Jaipur-Delhi. They are now apprehensive about starting and terminating their tours from Delhi," said a tour operator.

The decline in the number of tourists was starkly visible in Agra with the monument of love, Taj Mahal, being virtually deserted on the weekend, said The Times of India.

"The tourism industry reacts immediately and we may witness negative growth and may not be able to achieve our target this year. There are some cancellations but the situation is not alarming," said Subhash Goyal, chairman of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India committee on tourism.