NEW
DELHI: India's image as an unsafe destination for women travellers was
further consolidated after reports that a 51-year-old Danish woman was
gang-raped in Delhi. The UK foreign office issued a travel advisory
on Thursday cautioning its citizens on travel in the country even as
the tourism industry lamented the damage that violent crimes against
women had caused.
This, coupled with sluggish growth, has acted as a death knell for the industry, experts said.
Advisor to the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) Rajinder Rai said, "Such incidents are disgraceful and cause serious damage to the image of the country. It is scary that time and again such incidents continue to happen.''
An Assocham survey conducted recently said women foreign tourists to the country had declined by 35% and overall tourism was affected by 25%.
The number of foreign tourists coming to India grew a modest 4% between January and December 2013, coinciding with women travellers' perception of the country as a safe destination hitting rock bottom. This is less than the 5% growth in 2012 and 13% in 2011. Expansion in foreign tourist arrivals worldwide was pegged at around 5% during the first nine months of 2013, according to data from the World Travel Organization.
India's total foreign tourist arrivals in 2013 stood at 6.84 million. In comparison, China received 132 million and Singapore got 14 million (end-2012 figures) visitors.
Industry sources said women travelers were skipping India from their itinerary. A hotelier said, "The last one year has caused deep concern among first-time visitors who feel that India is unsafe as a destination. We try our best to reassure them but there is little that can be done with the increasingly regularity of such crimes against women.''
In a bid to quell the panic, the tourism ministry has introduced a 'I respect women' campaign that includes advertisements and promotions addressing these concerns. The ministry has also issued an advisory on its website cautioning women.
Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/UK-cautions-travellers-in-India-after-rape-of-Dane/articleshow/28914973.cms?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral
This, coupled with sluggish growth, has acted as a death knell for the industry, experts said.
Advisor to the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) Rajinder Rai said, "Such incidents are disgraceful and cause serious damage to the image of the country. It is scary that time and again such incidents continue to happen.''
An Assocham survey conducted recently said women foreign tourists to the country had declined by 35% and overall tourism was affected by 25%.
The number of foreign tourists coming to India grew a modest 4% between January and December 2013, coinciding with women travellers' perception of the country as a safe destination hitting rock bottom. This is less than the 5% growth in 2012 and 13% in 2011. Expansion in foreign tourist arrivals worldwide was pegged at around 5% during the first nine months of 2013, according to data from the World Travel Organization.
India's total foreign tourist arrivals in 2013 stood at 6.84 million. In comparison, China received 132 million and Singapore got 14 million (end-2012 figures) visitors.
Industry sources said women travelers were skipping India from their itinerary. A hotelier said, "The last one year has caused deep concern among first-time visitors who feel that India is unsafe as a destination. We try our best to reassure them but there is little that can be done with the increasingly regularity of such crimes against women.''
In a bid to quell the panic, the tourism ministry has introduced a 'I respect women' campaign that includes advertisements and promotions addressing these concerns. The ministry has also issued an advisory on its website cautioning women.
Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/UK-cautions-travellers-in-India-after-rape-of-Dane/articleshow/28914973.cms?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral
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