Stay Away from India!

5 countries issue travel advisories against India

Tourism Minister Protests, Slams Scare-Mongering

Himanshi Dhawan | TNN 

FEAR FACTOR: A group of foreign tourists in Jaipur. The number of foreign tourists in India this year, till August, was 3.8 million, a 10% increase over last year. The advisories may change that

New Delhi: One after another, five countries — the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand — have issued advisories against travel to India during the festival season. 
    The ostensible reason for the caution is the terror threat, but the government isn’t impressed. It fears the advisories will hit tourism and says terror shouldn’t be used to create a scare about visiting India. 
    “I have taken up this with the ministry of external affairs and asked it to persuade these countries to withdraw the travel advisories immediately,” Union tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahay told TOI. “This is nothing but scare-mongering. Leave aside other parts of India, 100% booking is being reported from Jammu and Kashmir. If this isn’t a sign of normalcy, what is?” 
    The travel industry is understandably jittery as it fears a cancellation rate of 10-15%. Adverse travel advisories tend to hike travel insurance as the risk factor goes up. So, instead of coming to India, many tourists are likely to opt for other destinations like Thailand, Sri Lanka and China. 
    A delegation of the top hoteliers, travel agents and restaurant-owners met Sahay to convey their sense of 
dismay. Apart from taking up the matter with the foreign secretary, the minister also raised the issue in France at a meeting of the tourism ministers of G20 nations on Monday, expressing his concern at the “barriers” likely to obstruct growth of tourism in India. Thailand pips India in tourism 
New Delhi: Foreign tourist arrivals in India between January and August 2011 have seen an encouraging 10% growth (in absolute terms, 3.8 million tourists came to India in this period compared to 3.4 million last year). 
    However, India is still beaten hollow in tourism by small Asian countries like Thailand. While India’s share is 0.59% of the world’s share of global arrivals, Thailand’s is 1.62% and China’s 5.8%. 
    While our most popular beach gets 2.7 million foreign tourists in a year, Phuket gets 5 million. The Taj Mahal gets 3.1 million foreign tourists a year while the Great Wall of China gets 10 million. 
    With India’s potential barely realized, the Indian hospitality industry is worried. Hotel Association of India president Nakul Anand said the advisories issued from large source markets like US and UK would impact the inflow of business and leisure travelers in the country. 
    “Given that it has been issued at the start of what is typically perceived as the beginning of the tourist and business season in India, it is bound to impede the forecasts for the industry,’’ he said. 
    Travel Agents’ Association of India president Rajinder Rai said the advisories will spell trouble for the industry. “We have taken up the issue with the tourism ministry demanding the advisories be withdrawn. It’s a completely unfair practice,’’ he said.