Tourism, aviation Ministries to wait and watch

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, OCT. 8. With the United States having finally started the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, the panic gripping the tourism and aviation sector is threatening to become more intense. The question being asked is, how long would the conflict last and how to contain the impact on their business.

There have been cancellations of booking ever since the terrorist attacks in the U.S. on September 11. The tourism and travel sector did not have any immediate information about any more cancellations but it indicated that the shape of things to come would become known in a few days. One immediate fallout was that Air India has started avoiding flying over Pakistan's airspace.

Both the Civil Aviation and the Tourism Ministries do share the concern of the respective sectors but would like to wait and watch the situation for a while. They have no answer to the questions as to how the prospective tourist would view the situation and how international airlines would respond to the cancellations. Some international airlines had withdrawn from India in the wake of the attacks in U.S. even as some planned to start new services and some others asserted that they would continue their India-centric operations.

However, the perception of the industry and the Government on the fallout of the war on the tourism sector varies. Both the Union Minister for Tourism, Mr. Jagmohan, and the Director General of Tourism, Mr. V. K. Duggal, are not as skeptical as the industry and the aviation authorities. ``Of course, it would have impact, but the affect would not be as alarmist as being apprehended,'' Mr. Jagmohan said.

Mr. Jagmohan said India continued to be a safe destination. People looking for spiritual solace and mental peace could be attracted. India is looking at Japan, China and many other countries for attracting tourist traffic and Mr. Jagmohan has had some discussions with his counter-parts during the World Tourism General Assembly in Japan.

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