Will Delhi Gang Rape Impact Tourism in India?

Tourism being a large and lucrative industry, India has a lot at stake. In the year end review by the India’s Department of Tourism for the period of January to November 2012 India saw approximately 5.9 million foreign tourists, an increase of nearly 6 percent from the previous year.

In 2012, in order to improve the image of the country overseas the department introduced number of initiatives. ‘Incredible India’ is one of them which had made it to billboards worldwide to increase awareness and boost tourism.

On the eve of the protest regarding the Delhi gang rape, the United States and Britain embassies released ‘advisories’ advising their citizens to avoid parts of New Delhi. The advisory or the notice also advised citizens to keep a tab on local newspapers for latest updates and cautioned that ‘demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn violent.’ as reported by New York Times.

The advisories were received with disregard by the Indian officials and a statement was issued by Indian politicians stating that the advisories were unnecessary. At the event to launch the “Incredible India” calendar Parvez Dewan, the tourism secretary, said regarding the travel advisories released by the United States and the United Kingdom that it had not caused any decrease in the flow of foreign tourists to India. He further said, “So far there has been no adverse impact on tourism. Since the advisory not a single cancellation of booking has taken place, according to tour operators.”

Also Read: 5 Popular Events in 2012 That Amazed India