Foreign tourists shun India amid protests and crime

NEW DELHI: A slew of incidents targeting women, protests over the new citizenship law and subsequent travel advisories issued by the likes of the US, UK and Russia, and a recent move to phase out airport passes for tour operators are likely to affect inbound tourism in the peak travel season, tour operators and travel agents said.Tour operators catering to overseas tourists from the US and UK said their clients were increasingly enquiring about safety and security in the country in the wake of these developments.“The numbers in this season will be definitely impacted. Those who have already booked and paid for December are coming but those who were considering have changed their mind,” said R Parthiban, a director of Delhi-based Swagatam Tours that caters to travellers from Italy, France and North America.“Nobody will go to a place where there is uncertainty. It has been two years since tourist offices in key (foreign) markets have been closed down by the government and no alternatives were provided,” Parthiban said.“To counter these advisories and the perceptions, the government needs to adopt a more proactive approach and needs to communicate. Tourists are concerned and I feel that image of India in minds of travellers as a country that respects all religions is going away. Overseas tourists above the age of 50 look at India as a cultural destination and travel in sizeable numbers, and they cannot take risks,” he said.The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) said it has written to ministries of tourism and civil aviation to postpone a move to phase out airport passes for tour operators, which it feels would be inconvenient for tourists.“Tour operators get airport passes through which they go and receive foreign tourists when they disembark or drop them off when they leave,” said IATO chief operating officer Rahul Chakravarty.“Airport passes are going to be discontinued from December 31. If these are withdrawn, touts could misuse this against the tourists and this could also put the safety of woman travellers at risk. We are requesting the government to continue them till April (as December to February is the peak season) as we don’t have time. This will become a very big operational issue,” he added.“The disturbances in India against the Citizenship Amendment Act have been in pockets but travel advisories from countries like the US, UK, Canada and Russia have created a negative perception about the entire country which may affect inbound tourism numbers,” he added.The US and UK updated travel advisories for female travellers visiting India following recent incidents of crime against women.The two countries, besides others like Singapore, Israel, Canada and Russia, also updated their travel advisories following the protests in several cities over the new law.

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