The Hindu Business Line : Foreign tourists not discouraged

New Delhi, Nov. 27 For tourists visiting India, it will be a Thanksgiving Day that they will remember for a long time. With some of them taken hostage and others caught in the terror carnage in Mumbai, overseas Governments are asking their nationals in Maharashtra to restrict their movement or return home.

However, tourists are showing the spirit of resilience. Visitors in cities such as Delhi are showing no signs of canceling their itinerary. Some of them are also willing to travel to Mumbai despite the terror drama still being played out. Italian tourist Mr Roberto Pizzolato said, “We will travel to Mumbai tomorrow despite the ground situation not being very favourable.”

Echoing the sentiment, Ms Beatrice Cotrel, a French national, “It is a time for soul searching as terror attacks can happen anywhere. We have not come to sit in our hotel room, we will explore the city come what may,” she said.

A group of German tourists visiting Udaipur said, “The perpetrator of terror wants to spread fear. We should not let them think they have achieved their purpose. Travelling even more aggressively is a way to defeat them.”

The hotel industry, however, is not taking any chances. Almost all luxury hotel chains including the Taj, Maurya and Oberoi have put in place ramped up security, which include discouraging uninvited visitors from entering the premises and putting a multi-tier safety net.

The Governments of the US, the UK, France and Australia have also issued travel advisories asking visitors to restrict their movements for the next few days.

According to the Joint Secretary of Federation of Hotels and Restaurants Association of India, Mr T. Nataraajan, the immediate concern for hotels across India is the safety of their guests.

The Indian Association of Tour Operators’ President, Mr Vijay Thakur, noted that the Mumbai incident may lead to slump in tourist arrivals, which has already been facing a downturn due to global slowdown. Last year, five million foreign tourists visited India and inflow was expected to grow at 15-16 per cent. According to an agency estimate, almost 65 per cent of hotel rooms are used by business travellers. About 30,000 rooms are in Mumbai and Delhi and this could fall by up to 85 per cent following the Mumbai incident.

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