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Terrorists'
killing, Cauvery Stir, Veerappan Kidnapping BANGALORE:
It seems the terror of forest brigand
Veerappan has once again hit normal life in Karnataka. The state tourism
industry has been equally affected. Following the kidnapping of former
state minister H. Nagappa, tourists, both domestic and foreign, feel
reluctant to visit the state fearing they might land up in the clutches
of the most wanted man in the country.
The Cauvery river water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu is said to be another reason for the sudden fall in the number of tourists. Even as the state was trying to recover from the tragedies of last year's kidnapping of thespian Rajkumar and the long standoff between India and Pakistan, the latest evelopments have affected the tourism sector in the state. Karnataka Tourism Commissioner IM Vittalamurthy said, "the Veerappan and the Cauvery episodes have affected Mysore tourism very badly. Mysore region constitutes a major chunk of tourism, particularly in this season. Hotels are virtually vacant and the travelling industry has been equally hit". The agitations about the Cauvery water dispute have cast a shadow on Mysore's "Dasara" festival. According to the Tourism Commissioner, the agitations have hit the sector so badly that more than 95 per cent of foreign tourists have cancelled their bookings leaving the industry in the doldrums. GV Sampath Babu, general manager of a tourist transport firm, said, "tourism transport vehicles have been damaged. Vehicles have stopped plying on the roads and the whole industry is disturbed". Many of the small-time operators have already closed down their operations because of the heavy losses.
The hotel industry has been the real victim of the impact of these agitations. It is mired with cancellation of bookings, just 10 per cent occupancy, no foreign tourists, and compounded losses. Managing Director of Kamat Chain of Hotels AS Kamat said, "hotel industry has been very badly affected. Because of the road blockages, no car and trains can pass. For pleasure people don't want to go where law and order is disturbed". The cancellation of bookings by foreign travellers and curtailing of domestic tourists inflow has almost reduced the industry to no recovery status. In spite of the discount rates, occupancy in hotels is less than 50 per cent. According to available statistics, Karnataka gets around 16 million domestic tourists and about three lakh foreign tourists per annum earning a direct revenue of Rs 350 crore and a foreign exchange worth Rs 542 crore. But (according to an estimate) due to the ongoing crises, this year the total revenue and foreign exchange may be as low as 30 per cent.
'Heritage Walk' in Delhi to Boost Sagging Tourism (Go To Top) NEW DELHI: A 'heritage walk' was organised on Friday, October 18, by Delhi's Government to lift the sagging fortunes of tourism industry in the territory.. Delhi, a historic city, has plenty of historical monuments dating back to ancient and medieval periods. Qutb Minar of 12th century and the Red Fort of 17th century are well-preserved but numerous tombs that dot the Capital are neglected.
Organisers say the 'heritage walk' aims to make people aware of the monuments and motivate them to maintain their surroundings. Classical dancers Vyjayantimala Bali and Sonal Mansingh, painters Jatin Das and Bulbul Sharma and social activists Nafisa Ali and Manpreet Brar were among the celebrities who made it early to the 10-km walk on Mehrauli-Badarpur Road. "I am feeling very, very good because exquisite monuments like these are very rare. I want to congratulate those people who have arranged this and have thought about it because there is a lot of heritage monuments like these across our country and there should be awareness about them," said Vyjayantimala Bali. Film director Muzzafar Ali observed that the environment around the monuments need to be preserved if they were to attract tourists. "When people come from outside the country, they would like to see large environments that are both rich in nature and also rich in culture and heritage and these kind of walks sensitise people to spaces like this," he stated. "In fact, I was shocked to go to Jamali Kamali's tomb and find a huge tree, which was providing a lot of shade there, badly chopped," Ali added. "It must have been the authorities who thought intrusion of nature in a monument like this was probably not a very good idea but I feel it was adding something to the whole place." Jamali Kamali tomb, built in 1529, is one of the best-preserved monuments in Delhi. Jamali, a saint-poet whose original name was Sheikh Fazullah, lived during the reigns of Sikander Lodi and Humayun. Several programmes have been organised throughout the week to boost tourism in the country. According to official estimates, the number of foreign tourists slid to 151,721 in September from 162,326 a year earlier, a fall of 8.5 per cent. The tourism industry, already suffering a global slump after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US, was severely hurt following an escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan. However, the inflows are expected to pick up as tensions between India and Pakistan have eased, and travel warnings issued by Western nations to their citizens have been lifted. -ANI |
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