India tourist visits down 25% following fatal Delhi gang rape
Source: The Guardian
The number of foreign tourists arriving in India dropped by 25% during the first three months of this year, largely because of fears about the risk of sexual assault, according to an industry survey.
The number of female tourists fell by 35% compared with the same period last year, with Indian tour operators reporting many cancellations from January to March following the fatal gang rape of a physiotherapist on a Delhi bus last December.
The figures from the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (Assocham) are based on a survey of 1,200 tour operators and contradict the government's rosy picture of the tourism business.
For both January and February, tourism ministry figures showed an increase in the number of tourists and revenue from tourism, compared with the first two months of 2012. A month after the Delhi gang rape, the tourism secretary, Parvez Dewan, said: "So far there has been no adverse impact on tourism."
Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/31/india-tourist-visits-down-delhi-gang-rape
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