Tsunami Tragedy Arrests Tourism Take-Off

Just when everyone thought 2004 was going to be a bumper year for Indian tourism, the tsunami has sullied the picture, says Reema Sisodia

Year 2004 was about to be one of the best for Indian tourism. The numbers, government initiatives, the industry mood, all spelled this. Until December 26, that is. The tsunami which has wreaked havoc in southern India has put a temporary brake into Indian tourism's fortunes..

Accepting this truth, Renuka Chowdhury, minister of state for tourism with independent charge, government of India, said, "Yes, tourism will be affected to some extent. But I am not concerned about tourism now, but about the human lives lost. The challenge at present calls for an effective disaster management system."

Tamil Nadu, the worst affected, is already making efforts to get things back in control. According to Shaktikanta Das, managing director, Tamil Nadu (TN) Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (TTDC), "We will carry out our plan of action on two levels. At one level we will repair and restore the damaged TTDC properties. At another level we will send out information about the situation of the state to all travel agents, tour operators and everyone involved in the travel ad hospitality industry. We are just waiting for things to settle down a little before doing this."

On how he expects tourism to be affected, Das added, "There will definitely be a temporary setback due to these developments. There will be some apprehensions for a short span of time but it is just a passing phase. The programmes for the Mamallapuram dance festival have been cancelled because the area has been badly affected. There will be some tension for a few days but the situation will definitely improve."

Kerala, one of the biggest tourism hubs in India, was affected partially. The state government, which is already undertaking damage control measures, has sent out a travel advisory which reads: 'Kerala Tourism appeals to all Kerala-bound domestic and international tourists to proceed with their travel plans and not to possess apprehensions of any nature, following the onslaught by Tsunami waves on Kerala's coastline… Casualties have been reported from few coastal pockets of Alappuzha and Kollam districts, but by and large the beach-oriented tourism activities continue to be normal in other parts of Kerala with no loss of life to domestic or international tourists reported from any part of Kerala's coastal belt.'

Tour operators also say that business, both inbound and outbound, will be affected for a short time, especially in south India. Pronab Sarkar, managing director, Swagatam, an inbound tour operator based in Delhi, said, "Swagatam has received 20 pax cancellations so far from Gulf countries and Italy. These tourists were scheduled to travel to south India in the last week of December and first week of January. We have also received requests from some tourists - FITs and small groups - to change their itinerary to other destinations such as northern India."

Bharat Bhushan of SNR Tours & Travels, Bangalore, echoes a similar sentiment, "Though the impact in India is not too severe, except in Tamil Nadu and Nicobar, the impression given to tourists is that the entire south India has been affected. Kerala and Goa will also suffer due to this, though temporarily."

Subhash Goyal, president, IATO and chairman, Stic Travels, says he has received news that tourists are cancelling their vacations in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Maldives and coming to India to spend the rest of their holidays. "However, outbound will be affected to some extent. Stic Travels has received cancellations from some tourists who were scheduled to travel to Malaysia and Thailand," said Goyal.

The hotel business will also be affected, according to industry players. S K Khullar, former president, FHRAI, said, "Occupancies will be affected in the hotels of the southern states in the next couple of months. It would take at least two-three months to restore normalcy, if not more."

Lalit Suri, president HAI and chairman, WTTC Indian Initiative says he has asked WTTC president, JC Baumgarten to get in touch with foreign travel partners and request their cooperation.

(With inputs from Anindita Chattopadhyay, New Delhi; Lakhmi Subramanian, Chennai and Vyas Sivanand, Bangalore)