With rallies, street plays, rock shows and public gatherings, the election season is now another tamasha to look out for in India. Making it another Kumbh Mela are tour operators, online sales agents, speciality and niche guide-touring firms, attracting tourists from UK, USA and Australia
If you thought grand road shows, colourful rallies, rock concerts and public gatherings with celeb presence only wooed voters this election season, then there’s more for you. Tour operators, online sales agents, speciality and niche guide-touring firms are cashing in on the five-week-long polling exercise and advertising the elections as another Kumbh Mela to attract foreign tourists.
The lok Sabha elections have given tremendous boost to the hospitality industry especially budgeted hotels, dhabhas, guest-houses, the transport sector (taxis, buses, three wheelers, rail), revealed the ASSOCHAM’s recent survey.
During the election, there has been an upsurge of 10-15 per cent tourists from USA, UK, UAE, Singapore and over 62 per cent in the domestic tourists, who are travelling for electioneering, said the survey.
“Foreign tourist inflow in India has witnessed a steep rise of 10-15 per cent during the lok Sabha elections, which is a good sign for the Indian economy,” said DS Rawat, secretary general ASSOCHAM.
Nearly 500 tour operators from different cities were surveyed and they shared that there is an increase in tourism business to the extent of 20 per cent because of elections. Nearly 54 per cent of the tour operators said that a number of bookings has been confirmed in the last two weeks mainly from UK, USA, Canada, Australia, China, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria and Singapore.
Many tour operators are offering the “election tourism package” which includes visit to public rallies, poll campaigns, meeting party leaders and Election Commission officers. Elections are fuelling travel demand with increase in rail, bus and flight bookings, revealed the majority of travel agents. The demand for hotels and guest-houses has increased.
In the past two weeks, flight bookings in Delhi, lucknow, Varanasi and Gujarat are up by 15 per cent, says majority of online tour operators. A large number of coaches, cars and taxies is being booked for travel to Varanasi from Delhi as well as towns around. The high-profile contests in Uttar Pradesh, especially in Varanasi and lucknow, have come as a boon to travel agents. Foreign as well Indian students and small and medium business executives are also travelling from various parts of countries and states to Varanasi.
“With two of the biggest political personalities contesting from Varanasi, supporters of both parties are thronging to Varanasi. We tracked year-on-year growth of around 12 per cent in hotel bookings for the city. The numbers have grown exponentially for bigger cities like hotel-bookings in lucknow grew by 60 per cent, while Ahmedabad has witnessed 35 per cent growth in the same period,” said Mohit Gupta, chief business officer, holidays, MakeMyTrip.
Online travel portals have noticed an increase in bookings to destinations which are political hubs and places where major rallies have been scheduled. There is an increase of over 15-20 per cent in rail bookings in Delhi, lucknow, Varanasi and about 10 per cent increase in the lucknow-Ayodhya route.
Ahmedabad-based firm Election Tourism India, which started to sell niche packages during the Gujarat assembly polls in 2012, is expecting to attract around 2,000 foreigners to come for the 2014 general elections. The package which is spread across seven days and six nights with a cost of Rs 75,000 without airfare, will take tourists to political rallies and show them local attractions. Subhash Goyal, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators estimated an influx of about 25,000-30,000 international tourists, including journalists, in April and May.
