Hill tour operators want relief from strikes

Hill tour operators want relief from strikes

6 April 2012

statesman news service
SILIGURI, 6 APRIL: Tour operators are appealing to the political forces in the Hills to spare the tourism industry from their bandhs, as it is one of the mainstays of the regional economy.
The anti-GJMM forces have called a 48-hour strike in the Terai and the Dooars on 10-11 April and the GJMM-backed Joint Action Committee has called another 48-hour strike on 18-19 April.
"Bandhs and tourism are two extremely opposite poles and can never meet," said tour operator Raj Basu.
"For the past two decades tourism has come up as the main industry in the north Bengal and Sikkim region, which is considered a major tourism circuit globally, because of its  geographical location, heritage and hospitality," Mr Basu said.
"We saw during the previous series of bandhs that they affected the industry badly," he said. "So we ask the conveners of the bandh to exempt the industry and treat it as an emergency service."
Mr Basu said the hotels had been almost booked, but around 30 per cent of bookings have already been cancelled because of the proposed bandhs. "Many people are associated with the industry," he said. "They will be affected badly if the industry is not kept out of the bandh's purview."
Another tour operator, Mr Vivek Gupta, said the industry had already suffered losses of Rs 200-300 crore because of the earthquake in Sikkim last year. "We fear that if the tourism industry is affected by the proposed bandh, we might suffer a financial loss of around Rs 400-500 crore," he said.