Taj Mahal tourism hit hard by Indian protests
Nationwide anti-government protests in India are taking a heavy toll on the country’s iconic tourism sites.
Visitors are staying away in droves, with visits to the Taj Mahal seeing a sharp decline over the past two weeks.
At least 25 people have died in violent clashes between police and protesters over the controversial new citizenship act.
Protests have rocked numerous cities including Agra where the Taj Mahal is situated.
"There has been a 60% decline in visitor footfalls in December," said Dinesh Kumar, a police inspector who is in charge of the tourist police station situated near the Taj Mahal.
That equates to about 200,000 domestic and international tourists cancelling or postponing visits.
Numerous countries have issued travel advisories informing tourists to take extra caution.
"Indian and foreign tourists have been calling our control rooms to check security. We assure them protection, but many still decide to stay away," Kumar said.
Authorities have suspended mobile internet services in Agra.
Due to this, prospective visitors have been unable to get updates on the situation and are staying away.
"Blocking the internet has affected tourism in Agra by about 50-60%," said Sandeep Arora, president of the Agra Tourism Development Foundation.
The Taj Mahal attracted nearly 6.5 million tourists in 2018.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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