Spectacular Commonwealth Games failed to attract many foreigners

According to recent study published by Times of India on November 07, 2010 titled “Despite CWG hype, only 5% rise in foreign tourist inflow”, there is no substantial increase in tourists inflow for and after the Commonwealth Games 2010 in Delhi. There has been a paltry 5% increase in October 2010 as compared to October 2009. The number of foreign tourists arriving at Delhi airport has increased by a measly 5.1% as per data published by Union tourism ministry.The statistics for the rest of the country were hardly any better. Altogether, 487,000 foreign tourists visited India as against 446,000 during October 2009 registering an increase of 9%.

In the last six months, 4.3 million foreign tourists visited India during January-October 2010 with a growth rate of 9.9% as compared to last year. Increase in number of travelers indicates that travelers hit by economic recession were gradually bouncing back. Growth had dipped to 6.7% during January-October 2009 over the corresponding period of 2008.

Foreign exchange earnings from tourism during January- October 2010 were Rs 513.34 billion with a growth rate of 21.1%, as compared to Rs 423.9 billion with a growth of 4.1% during January-October 2009 over the corresponding period of 2008.

There is an increase in business and leisure travel. However, India failed to capitalise on the opportunity that the Games as an international sporting event offered, owing to negative publicity for the lack of enthusiasm abroad and absence of a focused, well-orchestrated campaign and planning. (Source: Times of India, November 07, 2010)

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Bed & Breakfast Scheme: Should Govt. fix the room tariff

After getting huge response in many cities of the world, Bed & Breakfast Scheme was introduced in Delhi too. Read on to know in detail about the B&B Scheme in Delhi.

What is a Bed & Breakfast Scheme?

Before discussing any further on the Bed & Breakfast Scheme in India, it is important to know what exactly is this scheme all about? “Incredible India Bed and Breakfast (B&B) Establishments” is launched in 2008 to provide a comfortable and clean place to stay for domestic and foreign tourists in India. The aim is to provide the tourists all the home like facilities in the Indian metros. It will be given to foreign tourists by making them stay in an Indian family that will make them experience the real India. As the name suggests, Bed & Breakfast facilities in India will provide everything from bed to breakfast to the tourists.Bed & Breakfast facilities in India is largely categorized in two categories, including, silver and gold.

Main Objective of the B&B Scheme:

It is important to know about the main objective of launching the Bed & Breakfast Scheme in India. The first and foremost objective is to provide clean and affordable home like accommodation facilities to the tourists arriving in India. It is a scheme that aims to give the foreign tourists an opportunity to feel the customs and experience the traditions of the country. Foreign tourists will get the chance to relish the traditional Indian cuisine during their stay with an Indian family.

Homestay in Delhi , Tej Abode

The Bed and Breakfast Establishments will be regularly inspected and assessed by the Regional Classification Committee on terms of the services that are offered by them. It has been declared that these establishments once approved by the Ministry of Tourism will duly get publicized. Not only this, a proper directory mentioning about such establishments will be published so as to help the foreign tourists coming to India for opting the right B&B establishment for them.

Preventing Chandigarh B&B Scheme Failure in Delhi

An important factor to consider while launching the B&B scheme in Delhi is to take proper precautions so as to prevent what happened in Chandigarh. A similar B&B scheme was launched in Chandigarh some time back but now the contracts of all the 25 homes that were registered have been cancelled. It was observed that operators violated the bylaws and accommodated about 30 guests in their home’s basements and made them park their cars in streets creating nuisance for the neighbors.

The Estate, New Delhi

Perhaps, the only solid solution to prevent such a happening in Delhi’s B&B scheme would be that the government should fix the room tariff. Strict guidelines should be declared beforehand so as to prevent such a happening in Delhi. As per the government’s plan, in the silver category of Delhi’s B&B scheme, Rs.3000 will be charged as application fees and the fees is Rs. 5000 for the gold category.

To sum it up we can say that, Bed & Breakfast Scheme in Delhi can be a hit provided government is strict in its norms and rules and leaves no scope for any corruption.

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