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the commonwealth games was like a shining ray in a dark night for the tourism and hospitality industry which has already suffered a lot due to recession. the owners of big and small hotels had expected a huge inflow of foreign tourists during this period. the main tourist locations around Delhi are
- Agra and Fatehpurskri
- Amritsar
- Rajasthan
- Haridwar
- Shimla/Kullu/Manali
the small and big names of the hospitality industry have done great preparations for the event. increase in the number of rooms, up gradation of facilities, new cuisines are to name a few.
but will the tourists come to visit India as expected?
so far the things are not going good. although the tourists have started to come, the numbers are very disappointing for the industry. seeing the conditions so far, it is difficult to say that the expectations will be met.
what are the reasons for the reduced international traffic?
well there are many. first of all the delay in the preparation of the games village and the venues of the events have disappointed the public and sent a very bad(and wrong) message to the world about our infrastructural abilities.
secondly our country’s past is full of terrorist attacks and the incompetency of the government and the security forces to deal with such matters. the recent mumbai blasts could be taken for an example where 10 armed terrorists entered the commercial capital of India without any resistance. tell me who would like to risk his/her life for visiting India when there are so many other safe places to go.
even the media to some extent can be blamed for highlighting the drawbacks of the city and its preparations and a very little emphasis on the positive aspects. the hype on spread of dengue and spine flu has spoiled the mood of the players as well as the visitors. this has reduced the enthusiasm in the people. the level of excitement present six months back is missing. the people of delhi are moving out on vacations and are showing little interest in the games.
when the people of India are not willing to see the games then it is unlikely that many foreigners would come for the same. India is known for its hospitality, and i hope that many tourist get a taste of the real India. my best wishes are with Delhi.
Shubho's Blog 