Jaipur, Nov. 2: The Wall Street whirlpool has sucked in Rajasthan’s flourishing tourism industry with the immediate victim being the Pushkar fair usually graced by visitors from all over the US and Europe. 

Tour operators said 40 per cent of the advance bookings for the fair, to be held from November 5-13, had been cancelled, something that has never happened before, leaving the industry shell-shocked. 

Khalid Khan, the president of the Rajasthan Association of Tour Operators, said: “The Pushkar fair has been a major casualty of the meltdown this year. At least 40 per cent cancellations have been recorded, mostly from the US and Europe.

“Overall in the state, we do not have many bookings for November and hardly any for January 2009 when the peak season starts. There are anxious queries among foreign travellers as they face the reality of a credit crunch and rising debt and delinquency.” 

Khan said the forecast for the tourist season, which usually starts around Christmas and goes on till March, looked bleak at present. 

“Hotels are offering special discounts but are not ready to make it public, preferring to do it on a one-to-one basis with the client,” he said.

The hospitality industry, which banks on the peak season, has begun feeling the heat. Timmie Kumar, the owner of the five-star Clarks Amer in Jaipur, said: “October has not been too bad but November onwards, things would definitely not be as good as last year. No major cancellations, but bookings for the future have been bleak till now.” 

Tourism executives also fear the serial blasts in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi and Guwahati this year would have had an impact on foreign tourists, especially those from the US and Europe who have not witnessed any terrorist act since the 9/11 blasts and the July 2007 London bombings. 

The silver lining, Khan said, was that high-end tourists were still not turning away as their payments had been made well in advance.

Tourism, which accounts for 15 per cent of Rajasthan’s economy, is the third highest revenue generating sector after agriculture and industry. 

In 2007, Rajasthan received over 27.3 million tourists, including 1.4 million foreign visitors. The state attracts about 11.2 per cent of India’s foreign tourist inflow. 

According to the ministry for tourism, the US is the top tourist generating market for India and accounted for 15.72 per cent of the foreign tourist arrivals in 2007, closely followed by the UK at 15.67 per cent. 

High-end tourism service providers said their clients, usually the well-heeled and with mega-bucks to spare, would not really feel the pinch and even if they did, the impact would be visible only next year. 

Vibhuti Singh, who runs Palace on Wings, a specialised helicopter service through the state, said: “I have seven bookings for the season, starting November 21, which includes two groups from the US and three from Europe. For my clients, who will be put up at Raj Vilas in Jaipur and Umaid Bhawan in Jodhpur, slowing down of the economy does not matter. We charge $35,000 for a couple and $51,000 for two couples. That’s big money. But yes, the average foreign traveller would definitely succumb to the meltdown and its effects would be clear by next year.” 

The state’s luxury train, Palace on Wheels, too has had a clear run with no major cancellations except for a group which was booked on the October 1 trip, but that may not be because of the slowdown, said booking officer Pramod Sharma. 

Bookings for the luxury train are currently on for 2009-2010 with the tariff being $560 per person per night on single occupancy and $419 per person for double occupancy. 

The second and more luxurious Palace on Wheels, slated to begin operations from December, is also receiving queries from the US and Europe, said Jagdeep Singh, the media facilitator for the Rajasthan tourism department. 

Denying any immediate effects of the slowdown, Singh said since the bookings were made almost a year ago, foreign tourists would not like to cancel them. 

Tourism official Tripti Pandey said because of the favourable exchange rates, India still remained an attractive destination for tourists, even in the time of a resource crunch.

“Foreigners still get value for money in India, which is any day cheaper compared to other parts of the world,” Pandey said.

.....Back
 

A Tribute to Beauty The Taj Mahal with Gallery	Temples of Love Khajuraho with Gallery	Old Delhi and New Delhi with all Informations	Dedicated site of Goa with all informations
Kerala Tour with Gallery	Lakshadweep	Maa Ganges	Amarnath  Shiva Complete Yatra (Virtual Tour)