'Unsafe' India Drives Off 25 Pct Foreign Tourists

Bangalore: The safety of women in India has been questioned for a while now. The recent events of rape of a Swiss woman, and a British woman who jumped from a hotel balcony fearing a sexual assault has only left the country shocked and makes the world wonder how safe it is to travel in India? The number of international tourists visiting India has declined by 25 percent through the past three months, reported Maseeh Rahman for the Guardian. This is mainly associated with fear of the risk of sexual assault said an industry survey.

It was noted that the number of female tourists declined by 35 percent in comparison to the same period in 2012. Indian tour operators have reported numerous cancellations from January to March this year, following the Delhi gang rape. The Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (Assocham) conducted a survey of 1,200 tour operators.

However, tourism ministry figures revealed an increase in the number of tourists and revenue from tourism for January and February this year, compared to the first two months last year.  But, ever since at least six foreign women have complained to police about being attacked or troubled by men, generally at tourist spots, thus making numerous countries issue travel advisories for India.

As per Delhi police figures a striking increase in reported crime since 1 January was noted, with molestation cases up by 590.4 percent over the same period last year and rape cases up by 147.6 percent.

DS Rawat, Assocham's secretary-general, was quoted by the guardian, saying that while the government was banking on tourist dollars to help diminish the country's vast current account deficit, the security situation was making foreign tourists avoid India for other Asian destinations such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam.

While tourism is important for revenue generation in India, what needs more importance is the safety and security of travelers who visit India.

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