Inbound tourism gets a boost in February

CHENNAI: If the ripples of the global economic recession were felt across industries, the gushing recovery is spreading cheer everywhere. The department of tourism is happy to note that February 2010 saw a renewed boost in the number of foreign tourist arrivals.

The February figure of 6.01 lakh is second only to February 2008’s 6.11 lakh — the best February in the past five years in terms of high foreign tourist arrivals.

February 2010 brought in gross earnings of $1.4 billion, while February 2008’s tourists accounted for $1.3 billion. “In 2008, we were in boom time and it was not surprising to see the heavy tourist inflow. Last year, however, the number of tourists was down due to global recession. And this year, we are expecting to see a jump, not just because of the economic recovery, but also because hotels are offering very competitive rates,” says Sethuraman, managing director of Chennai-based Hi Tours.

Low air fares have been another contributing factor. “The low fares of airlines like Air Asia have brought in a lot of traffic. And we have seen traffic not just from the West, but from South-East Asian countries too,” says an industry official.

February, however, is still second to December which has been the highest traffic month for the past five years. In December 2009, 6.46 lakh foreign tourists visited the country.

But December 2008 was different — the number of foreign tourists was just 5.34 lakh.

“That is because we were just recovering from the 26/11. However, most of those who postponed their trips have now returned to India,” says Peter Kerkar, executive director of Cox and Kings India.

Popular destinations of foreign tourists are predictably the Delhi-Agra-Jaipur circuit, Kerala and Goa.

“Demand for India as a destination is seeing an upswing. This year, we have sporting events such as Commonwealth Games which will further give a boost to inbound tourism,” says an optimistic Kerkar.