Gujjar stir hits Agra tourism hard

Darpan Singh, Agra

The nearly month-long Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan, which came to an end on Wednesday last, took a heavy toll on the Rs 2,200 crore tourism industry in Agra. The number of domestic tourists visiting the city came down drastically during the period. However, there was not much change in numbers as far as foreigners are concerned, sources in the State Tourism Department told HT on Friday.

In May this year, only 2,45,082 domestic tourists visited Agra, while the number for the same period in 2007 stood at 3,01,479. According to official figures, the last few days of the month were the worst hit which made all the difference. Incidentally, things were looking up for the tourism industry with the number of tourists visiting Agra was on the rise during the past three years.

The tourism industry lost revenue worth Rs two crore and the Taj Mahal alone suffered a loss of lakhs of rupees as sale of tickets, mandatory for entering the complex, dipped. During the 26 day of agitation, nearly 70 per cent bookings were cancelled and occupancy in hotels came down to as low as 30 per cent. As foreign tourists plan their tours in advance, there was not much scope for alteration and they suffered the most.

During the period, movement of trains on the Agra-Jaipur section remained suspended and passengers were held up at Agra railway stations and roadways bus stands. Making matters worse, transport companies in Agra refused to book consignments for Rajasthan. Scores of trains were diverted from Agra and Mathura. Over a dozen goods trains with perishable commodities remained stranded on the western route causing a huge loss.
The Gujjar agitation disrupted the traffic movement between Agra and Jaipur leading to tourists being held up here. Hundreds of tourists and pilgrims planning to visit Rajasthan were held up at Mathura, Firozabad and various stations or bus stands here. Rakesh Chauhan, president of the Agra Hotels and Restaurants Association, told reporters, “Tourism in the golden triangle has been badly hit,”

However, a section of tour operators in the city believe that the number of foreign tourists may not have gone up but the duration of their stay in Agra has definitely increased. A tour operator said, “The famous Golden Triangle (Delhi-Agra-Jaipur), a short-break tourist itinerary for North India, covers two major destinations: Agra (Taj Mahal, Agra Fort) and Jaipur (Forts and Palaces) along with Delhi. This most visited Itinerary in India by overseas tourists was badly hit and the conventional chain was broken.” According to him, because of this, foreigners chose to stay at Agra for longer durations.

Data obtained from the Tourist Department suggests that Spanish tourists have been quite keen on visiting the city of late. Said an official, “A good number of Spanish groups are coming but the number is still less than the last year’s figures. However, the duration of their stay has definitely gone up.” According to him, bookings of European tourists may go up by 15 per cent this season.

Meanwhile, the Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has completed its survey and will soon start work on lighting up the Taj Mahal’s surroundings in Mughlai theme with solar lights. The State Tourism Department has already allocated a sum of Rs 2 crore for the purpose. Official sources said that as part of the project, a food plaza similar to Delhi Hatt will also be set up to draw more visitors.