Tourism has taken a hit in the Buddhist temple town with cancellation of bookings by many foreign tourist groups due to blasts.
Many hotels had reported cancellation of small groups, numbering 15-25 tourists per group. These cancellations precedes the tourist season, which kicks-off in October as per a HT report.
General secretary of the Bodh Gaya Hotel Association, Sudama Kumar, said, “Nearly 20% tourist bookings till October have been cancelled. We are yet to assess the impact of the blast on the tourist season and are keeping our fingers crossed."
There are around 125 hotels and guest houses besides 56 monasteries in Bodh Gaya, of which 42 are registered.
“This is a lean season and less than 5% tourists are here. The blast has further crippled business prospects,” said north India convenor of the Coordination Committee of All India Buddhist Organisation, Dr Arvind Kumar Sinha from Patna.
Dr Sinha further said, monasteries on an average received donations up to Rs. 4-5 crore annually and feared that the quantum of donation may also be affected.
However, Mihir Singh, tourism secretary, government of Bihar, said that the incident may only have a ‘minor effect’ on state tourism.
“It may have a short-term impact but we do not see any adverse long-term fallout of the blasts. The blasts have just chipped a staircase and marginally damaged a votive Buddha stupa (measuring around 2 feet),” he added.
Asked if the enhanced security cover the government was contemplating to put in place would affect tourism, Singh said, “The state government’s enhanced security parameters will only enhance tourism because the tourists will now feel more secure. Ever since a similar three-layer security cover was put in place at the Taj Mahal, the tourist flow increased. All major heritage sites are well protected and no tourist ever complains,” he added.
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