TOURISM TAKES A DIVE
ANAND OBEROI
GANGTOK, 03 Nov: A significant decline in tourist arrivals this season has led to lackluster growth of tourism statistics for 2011. With an estimated 80 percent slump in the service industry, the main cause is cited to be the 18 September, 6.9 magnitude earthquake which made media headlines, positioning Sikkim as an unsafe tourist destination to visit.
According to officials of the Tourism department, the service sector has been adversely affected because of the low turnout of tourists, foreign and domestic, this season.
It may be informed that the months of September, October and November are considered peak tourist season with an estimated seven lakh tourists having come to Sikkim as per last year’s figures. This year the numbers have decreased to almost 15 percent of the previous year’s.
Hoteliers, restaurant owners, travel and tour operators, business establishments, ticket booking counters, taxi drivers and premier tourist destinations are all a concerned lot with the dismal arrival of tourists this season, one which is awaited by all as business booms during this period.
The hotel owners, speaking to NOW! reiterated that most of the hotels in and around the state are almost empty with tourists cancelling all bookings because of the ‘fear psychosis’ the earthquake has played amongst travelers. According to a resort owner in Pelling, the tourist arrival as compared to last year is just 20 percent.
“The 70 odd hotels here are almost empty because of the low turnout of tourists and repair work in the damaged buildings caused by the earthquake. The few tourists here are all budget tourists. Bookings are being cancelled and we are having problems as business has slumped miserably,” he explains.
A restaurant owner also told NOW! today that there has been a 60 percent loss in business since there are not many tourists coming here.
“This is the peak lunch hour but you can see that there are hardly any tourists, we are losing money and the few customers we are receiving are all local patrons. We know that there has been a major disaster but then the media should have reported that the entire state, especially Gangtok is still ready to welcome tourists,” he said.
Similarly, the executive sales manager of a prominent travel agency in the capital, Baichung Bhutia mentions that this season there has been an 80 percent cancellation of bookings and that at present there are only about 10 to 15 vehicles ferrying tourists to Lachung which used to be around 70 vehicles everyday during this season. He says that as the road conditions are very bad there since it is one of the most affected areas, tourists who are willing to visit Lachung and Yumthang have to first sign an undertaking stating that they are travelling at their own risk.
“We first explain the condition of the roads to the tourists enquiring and don’t force anyone. If they still want to go then they have to go on their own risk since the road is very unstable. During this time there used to be around 80 vehicles with tourists plying to Lachung and Gurudongmar which has become nil now since the road is still in no condition to travel on,” he informs.
It was also informed that the few vehicles that are risking it to North Sikkim’s tourist destination are using the tunnel from Toong to Theng as there is always the fear of a landslide occurring because it has started raining in the area.
Another blow to the tourism industry has come because of the closure of Tsomgo and Nathula because of the bad road conditions and total dependence on the weather. This is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the state which is now seeing only about 20 percent of vehicles risking it to the Chinese border. During this season last year, an estimated 700 vehicles were said to have crossed into Tsomgo during this season.
An official source at the department informed that there has been a slump of 70 percent in tourist arrivals to Tsomgo and Nathula.
“We are looking at the conditions and are also providing permits but then there are not many who are risking it to these areas as well which has affected tourism here in a big way. There are only 10 percent of foreign tourists who have come this season while last year the numbers were above 60 percent” Informs the official.
The Tourism department has however not remained silent on this issue as the decline of tourists into the state means that there will be no revenue generation for the stakeholders. The department has constituted an assessment team for finding out the total number of cancellation of bookings in the service sector.
“The department is preparing a survey report which will be completed within two weeks after which we can give you the actual statistics of tourist arrivals, as of now we cannot give you the exact figures as the assessment report has still not come,” explained the official.
It was further informed that the department, with the help of the private stakeholders has also started with awareness campaigns about Sikkim through the department’s website.
“We are trying to lift the image of Sikkim, people outside still think that Sikkim is in a bad shape which is not the exact picture. Tourism is being hampered and we hope that by the end of this month we will have more tourists coming in and then there is the tourist season in May by which we hope that everything will be normalized,” stated the officer.
ANAND OBEROI
GANGTOK, 03 Nov: A significant decline in tourist arrivals this season has led to lackluster growth of tourism statistics for 2011. With an estimated 80 percent slump in the service industry, the main cause is cited to be the 18 September, 6.9 magnitude earthquake which made media headlines, positioning Sikkim as an unsafe tourist destination to visit.
According to officials of the Tourism department, the service sector has been adversely affected because of the low turnout of tourists, foreign and domestic, this season.
It may be informed that the months of September, October and November are considered peak tourist season with an estimated seven lakh tourists having come to Sikkim as per last year’s figures. This year the numbers have decreased to almost 15 percent of the previous year’s.
Hoteliers, restaurant owners, travel and tour operators, business establishments, ticket booking counters, taxi drivers and premier tourist destinations are all a concerned lot with the dismal arrival of tourists this season, one which is awaited by all as business booms during this period.
The hotel owners, speaking to NOW! reiterated that most of the hotels in and around the state are almost empty with tourists cancelling all bookings because of the ‘fear psychosis’ the earthquake has played amongst travelers. According to a resort owner in Pelling, the tourist arrival as compared to last year is just 20 percent.
“The 70 odd hotels here are almost empty because of the low turnout of tourists and repair work in the damaged buildings caused by the earthquake. The few tourists here are all budget tourists. Bookings are being cancelled and we are having problems as business has slumped miserably,” he explains.
A restaurant owner also told NOW! today that there has been a 60 percent loss in business since there are not many tourists coming here.
“This is the peak lunch hour but you can see that there are hardly any tourists, we are losing money and the few customers we are receiving are all local patrons. We know that there has been a major disaster but then the media should have reported that the entire state, especially Gangtok is still ready to welcome tourists,” he said.
Similarly, the executive sales manager of a prominent travel agency in the capital, Baichung Bhutia mentions that this season there has been an 80 percent cancellation of bookings and that at present there are only about 10 to 15 vehicles ferrying tourists to Lachung which used to be around 70 vehicles everyday during this season. He says that as the road conditions are very bad there since it is one of the most affected areas, tourists who are willing to visit Lachung and Yumthang have to first sign an undertaking stating that they are travelling at their own risk.
“We first explain the condition of the roads to the tourists enquiring and don’t force anyone. If they still want to go then they have to go on their own risk since the road is very unstable. During this time there used to be around 80 vehicles with tourists plying to Lachung and Gurudongmar which has become nil now since the road is still in no condition to travel on,” he informs.
It was also informed that the few vehicles that are risking it to North Sikkim’s tourist destination are using the tunnel from Toong to Theng as there is always the fear of a landslide occurring because it has started raining in the area.
Another blow to the tourism industry has come because of the closure of Tsomgo and Nathula because of the bad road conditions and total dependence on the weather. This is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the state which is now seeing only about 20 percent of vehicles risking it to the Chinese border. During this season last year, an estimated 700 vehicles were said to have crossed into Tsomgo during this season.
An official source at the department informed that there has been a slump of 70 percent in tourist arrivals to Tsomgo and Nathula.
“We are looking at the conditions and are also providing permits but then there are not many who are risking it to these areas as well which has affected tourism here in a big way. There are only 10 percent of foreign tourists who have come this season while last year the numbers were above 60 percent” Informs the official.
The Tourism department has however not remained silent on this issue as the decline of tourists into the state means that there will be no revenue generation for the stakeholders. The department has constituted an assessment team for finding out the total number of cancellation of bookings in the service sector.
“The department is preparing a survey report which will be completed within two weeks after which we can give you the actual statistics of tourist arrivals, as of now we cannot give you the exact figures as the assessment report has still not come,” explained the official.
It was further informed that the department, with the help of the private stakeholders has also started with awareness campaigns about Sikkim through the department’s website.
“We are trying to lift the image of Sikkim, people outside still think that Sikkim is in a bad shape which is not the exact picture. Tourism is being hampered and we hope that by the end of this month we will have more tourists coming in and then there is the tourist season in May by which we hope that everything will be normalized,” stated the officer.
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