Sun 29 December 2019:
India’s tourism industry has been hit by a wave of violent anti-government protests against a new citizenship law that have rocked several cities this month, with at least seven countries issuing travel warnings.
At least 25 people have been killed in clashes between police and protesters, and demonstrations against the law continue.
Officials estimate about 200,000 domestic and international tourists cancelled or postponed their trip to the Taj Mahal in the past two weeks, one of the world’s most popular tourist attractions.
He said the decline was compared to December last year.
“Indian and foreign tourists have been calling our control rooms to check security. We assure them protection, but many still decide to stay away,” said Mr Kumar.
“We are all retired folks, for us travel has to be slow and relaxing. The newspaper headlines have led to a sense of concern and we will leave sooner than we had planned,” said Mr Dave Millikin, a retired banker from the outskirts of London, who spoke to Reuters from the capital New Delhi.
The Taj Mahal, situated in the town of Agra, attracts over 6.5 million tourists every year, generating nearly US$14 million (S$18.93 million) annually from entrance fees. A foreign tourist pays 1,100 rupees (S$20.82) to enter the grounds, although nationals from neighbouring countries get a discount.
Managers in luxury hotels and guest houses around the Taj Mahal said last minute cancellations during the festive season have further dampened business sentiment at a time when the country’s economic growth has slowed to 4.5 per cent, its slowest pace in more than six years.In a bid to clamp down on violence and unrest, the authorities have suspended mobile Internet services in Agra.
“Blocking the Internet has affected travel and tourism in Agra by about 50-60 per cent,” said Mr Sandeep Arora, president of the Agra Tourism Development Foundation that groups over 250 tour operators, hotels and guides.
The United States, Britain, Russia, Israel, Singapore, Canada and Taiwan have issued travel advisories asking their residents to either refrain from visiting or to exercise caution when visiting regions embroiled in India’s protests.
Mr Jayanta Malla Baruah, the head of the Assam Tourism Development Corp, said the state, home to the world’s largest concentration of one-horned rhinoceroses, is visited on average by 500,000 tourists during December.
“But this time, due to the ongoing protests and travel advisories by various countries, the number is down by 90 per cent if not more.”
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