Tourism in India dropped significantly in the first three months of this year as a result of the heinous rapes that received widespread international attention late last year, a new industry survey has found.
The report finds that tourism throughout India was down by 25 percent in the months January through March 2013 compared to last year, with a 35 percent decline among women.
The report, Trends in Tourists Inflow in the Last Three Months, was published by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and was based on a survey of 1,200 tour operators in different cities in parts of the country.
A press release accompanying the report says, “Nearly 72% of the tour operators said that there has [been a] number of cancellation[s] of booking taken place especially from women tourist[s] in the last three months from the countries mainly from UK, USA, Canada, Australia etc [sic].”
It goes on to say that many tourists have emailed the tour operators directly citing the issue of women’s safety as the reason they were cancelling their trips.
“The in-bound foreign tourists have opted other Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam etc. The situation has been further aggravated by the advisory issued by various countries to their citizens visiting India to be cautious and avoid India,” the press release accompanying the report said.
Last year on December 16th a 23-year-old female paramedic student in Delhi was attacked by six young men along with her male friend after getting on a bus. The six attackers proceeded to rape the female victim, who later died in a Singapore hospital as a result of the attacks she sustained.
The tragic attack led to an outpouring of thousands of Indians—particularly the youth— protesting in the streets of Delhi and elsewhere for stronger laws and greater efforts by law enforcement to protect women. At the same time, the attention the rape received at home and abroad also led to grater news coverage on specific rapes in India, as well as the general issues of rape and women’s rights inside the country.