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Foreign tourist inflow increases 16% during Jan-Oct` 03
Kolkata, Oct 29: After a sustained decline for the past three years, the foreign tourist inflow in the country has registered a 16 per cent growth during January-October, 2003 against the same period last year, according to the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India.
Kolkata, Oct 29: After a sustained decline for the past three years, the foreign tourist inflow in the country has registered a 16 per cent growth during January-October,
2003 against the same period last year, according to the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India.
"The foreign tourist inflow, which plummeted since 2000, has increased by 16 per cent during the first 10 months of 2003," FHRAI secretary general Shyam Suri told newspersons on Tuesday.
The inflow of foreign tourists during 2003, he said was likely to increase to the level achieved in 2000.
Since 2000, when 2.64 million foreign tourists visited the country, the number steadily declined to 2.54 million in 2001 and 2.35 million in 2002, he said. The reasons for the decline, Suri said, were September 11 terrorist strike on US, border tension between India and Pakistan and government advisory to tourists in countries like US and UK - which contribute over 40 per cent of foreign tourist inflow in India - not to visit certain places in the sub-continent.
Out of the total number of foreign tourists visiting the country, 75 per cent were leisure trevellers while the rest 25 per cent were business travellers, he said.
The federation, which would hold its annual convention here on November 7-9, was focusing on development of regional tourism to raise tourist inflow from Saarc and Asean nations. Suri welcomed the recent initiatives of the Centre of opening up the Nathula Pass and opening up the sky for private careers in the Asean region.
The initiatives, announced by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, would boost the tourism and hotel industry in the country, Suri said.
However, despite growth in foreign tourist inflow, the occupancy rate in hotels was yet to register significant increase during the year, he said.
The occupancy rate in hotels, in fact, had declined to about 50-55 per cent during past few years as compared to about 65-67 per cent recorded till 1997.
About the hotel industry, he said a new trend was emerging in the country whereby three/four star hotels were looking for chain affiliation.
The hotel industry, which had earlier been engaged in offering huge discounts to customers in view of the declining occupancy rate, has come to an understanding for not to continue with the trend, he said. Bureau Report
The inflow of foreign tourists during 2003, he said was likely to increase to the level achieved in 2000.
Since 2000, when 2.64 million foreign tourists visited the country, the number steadily declined to 2.54 million in 2001 and 2.35 million in 2002, he said. The reasons for the decline, Suri said, were September 11 terrorist strike on US, border tension between India and Pakistan and government advisory to tourists in countries like US and UK - which contribute over 40 per cent of foreign tourist inflow in India - not to visit certain places in the sub-continent.
Out of the total number of foreign tourists visiting the country, 75 per cent were leisure trevellers while the rest 25 per cent were business travellers, he said.
The federation, which would hold its annual convention here on November 7-9, was focusing on development of regional tourism to raise tourist inflow from Saarc and Asean nations. Suri welcomed the recent initiatives of the Centre of opening up the Nathula Pass and opening up the sky for private careers in the Asean region.
The initiatives, announced by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, would boost the tourism and hotel industry in the country, Suri said.
However, despite growth in foreign tourist inflow, the occupancy rate in hotels was yet to register significant increase during the year, he said.
The occupancy rate in hotels, in fact, had declined to about 50-55 per cent during past few years as compared to about 65-67 per cent recorded till 1997.
About the hotel industry, he said a new trend was emerging in the country whereby three/four star hotels were looking for chain affiliation.
The hotel industry, which had earlier been engaged in offering huge discounts to customers in view of the declining occupancy rate, has come to an understanding for not to continue with the trend, he said. Bureau Report