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The aftermath…

Photo: K.R. Deepak

A rare sight Foreign tourists enjoying an evening at the beachfront

Come December and its tourist time in India. The schools are on holidays and the weather is at its best, especially in places like this coastal city. The temperature is ideal for a day out at the beaches and for overnight camp outings in the woods. O ver the last couple of years, the city has seen a steady flow of tourists from various states like West Bengal, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. The city also figured in the radar of a few backpackers from the cooler climes in the west. But things are not the same this year.

A combo of factors like global recession, recent terrorist attack in Mumbai and lack of value addition to the tourist spots appear to have hit the hoteliers in the city. While a few claim that the drop is between 10 to 15 per cent, others say that it has touched almost 50 per cent in comparison to the corresponding period of the last fiscal.

Not attributing any specific reasons to the slump, the owner of an economy hotel near the station road says that the main flow of tourists, which comes from West Bengal have dropped by about 50 per cent. “Over the last couple of years, the occupancy was full during the months September, October, December and January. But this year, we could achieve the 100 per cent occupancy rate only for 15 days in the month of October, during the Durga Puja, and we now have good bookings from December 25 to January 10, 2009,” informs he.

The slide is not limited to the economy hotels, especially the ones near the station road that caters to the bulk of middle-class tourist flow from Bengal, Orissa, Chattisgarh and Bihar, but it has percolated down to the major star-hotels in the city.

The General Manager of Dolphin Hotel, Rajendra Prasad, informs that the Mumbai mayhem has seen the cancellation of at least 5 to 10 per cent of the guests from various foreign countries. “This might look marginal, but we are more worried about the domestic traffic. This is the tourist season and there is a drop of over 50 per cent in comparison to last year. The same is the case at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad. Global recession and security concern, post Mumbai attack, seem to take its toll,” he says.

The hotelier adds that the prime concern of the industry has now shifted to the security aspect. “In tune with the scenario, we are scaling down our New Year blast for security reasons. We do not intend to attract more guests. We are investing a couple of crores to beef-up the security system in our hotels,” says he.

The hoteliers feel that the Mumbai attack has send strong signals to the tourists and they (tourist) apprehend the escalation of Maoist problem in the agency areas of Araku Valley, a potential tourist destination.

Even the General Manager of Palm Beach Hotel, Sandeep Reddy agreed that there is a fall in the tourist flow and the hotel is doing its best to fill the gap with the help of corporate guests.

Adding to the problems of recession and terrorism, a senior executive of a top hotel suggests the value addition to the tourism infrastructure is missing. “The terrorist attack in Mumbai has definitely hit our chain of hotels in the metros in a big way, but in tier-II cities it is marginal. The global recession factor is also seeping in and its effects would be evident by the moths of February or March in the next year. But right now the tourism looks to be hit mainly due to the infrastructure problem,” asserts he.

He feels that the profile of the city is changing from a tourist hub to a corporate hub. “Till 2004, the city was the favourite destination for tourists, especially from West Bengal. Subsequently, there have been no new attractions and the beach tourism is absolutely zero. Tourists mainly look for adventure, nature and nightlife, and all the three are missing. The government should explore the possibilities of beach tourism in a big way or allow the private hoteliers to build the required infrastructure,” he says.

The lack of beach tourism seems to be a major cause for concern. The owner of a restaurant that serves Bengali food, Panja, informs that most of the tourist who throng his joint for a bite, complain that there is no infrastructure on the beach, unlike in Goa or Puri, to attract the tourists. Moreover, the beach is unsafe for a swim, so where is the attraction.

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