【NEW DELHI】With rape cases unabated, including a recent one involving a Danish national in the capital, the manifest lack of improvement in women's safety is likely to further dissuade travellers from coming to India, especially women on their own and particularly to Delhi.
Travel has already been impacted almost 10% since the December 16, 2012, when the Nirbhaya rape case occurred in the capital. It took almost nine months to recover from the impact and this most recent one will further impact volumes, said Arjun Sharma, managing director, Le Passage to India, which offers bespoke travel itineraries. According to him, a big chunk of women travellers come to India through unorganised travel agents or on their own. Backpackers and self-booked tourists account for nearly a million in-bound travellers. This number may see a drop by nearly 15-20%.
The tourism ministry last year launched the "I Respect Women" campaign to try and repair the country's image and encourage visitors. Operators feel the government needs to take swift and strict action in such cases to send out the right message to the travel community.
【News source】
Delhi rapes push brand India down on tourist charts
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