Padharo Mhare Des, but cautiously

Virma Ram (Adaptation: Shafey Danish) Padharo Mhare Des (Welcome to our land) is an apt motto for Rajasthan, one of the most touristy places in India. Through the last quarter of the millennia, especially since India started taking tourism seriously as an industry, Rajasthan has worked to build itself as an ultimate destination. Unfortunately this has received a serious jolt after the Jaipur blasts. The Des is losing its attraction. Two recent incidents, one which took place in a matter of minutes, and another that has stretched over months, has left gloomy clouds over Rajasthan’s tourism industry. The first of these was the Jaipur blasts- yet another gruesome chapter of terrorism in India. Even before Rajasthan could come to terms with its loss, it found itself in the middle of the Gujjar agitation. The twin incidents seriously undermined Rajasthan’s image of a peaceful state. Apprehension pervades the state, uneasiness stalks its once bustling streets. The losses in the two crises has totaled more than Rs 5000 crore. Though the state as a whole has suffered, the worst hit is tourism industry. Which is actually quite expected, as the blasts targeted tourist hotspots. Tourism is one of the economic pillars of the state, contributing as much as 15% of the GDP. A survey done in 2005 indicates that 199 lakh tourists visited Rajasthan that year. 12 lakh of these were foreign tourists. It already provides employment to a large swathe of the population, but this can go up still with proper investment. Roughly 30% of the tourists who visit India, that is 1 in every 3, visit Rajasthan. 4,17,527 foreign tourists visited India in 2005, of which 1,34,076 tourists visited Rajasthan. The figures went up by 37% in the year 2007. Jaipur bomb blast raised serious concerns over security in big cities and tourist spots. The Gujjar agitation raised questions over law and order in state. Large part of Rajasthan – like Shekhawati and Marwar belt which attracts more than 50% of tourists in the state – is untouched by Gujjar agitation, but the entry to these are through areas disturbed by the twin calamities. Rajasthan is divided in 10 tourist circuits. Four of these - Alwar-Silsedh-Sariska, Jaipur-Amer, Bharatpur-Deeg-Dhoulpur and Ranthambhor-Tonk - have been badly disrupted by the blasts and Gujjar agitation. Not only this, the areas that have not been affected have been hit by the disruption of transport facilities. Both rail and road transport has been disrupted. National highways have been blocked and rail facilities between Jaipur and Agra have almost come to a stop. This has seriously affected the Delhi-Jaipur-Agra golden triangle. The middle leg atleast has come to a grinding halt. Other areas have not been left untouched. Tourist spots like Sariska, Ranthambhore and Ghana reserves have all seen a sharp fall in visitors. The walled city of Jaipur which was the target of the bomb blasts is a unique example of urban planning and architecture. Places like Hawamahal, City Palace and Jantar-Mantar are tourism hotspots. The walled city is a must visit area for tourists who usually begin their sightseeing from here. But after the bomb blasts tourists have stopped coming here. 90% of hotel and airways reservation during Jaipur blasts were cancelled, while the number of tourists have decreased by 50%. The ongoing Gujjar agitation has affected the number of tourists coming in by about 60%. The situation of the tourists is peculiar; those who are not in Jaipur do not want to visit, but those who are there cannot leave. With peace and normalcy remaining elusive, the tourism industry looks set to see more of difficult times.