The Union Tourism Ministry is yet to make an headway in its one-year-old plan to launch an ambitious ‘Info line’ in six UN languages — Spanish, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Arabic — for the safety of foreign tourists in the country.
Sources in the Ministry said that after making grand plans to kick-off the online service for the tourists, particularly foreign tourists late last year, there have been no efforts so far to take it forward.
“Till now neither tenders have been floated nor any paper work initiated to move the proposal forward. As of now, the announcement seems to be just a lip-service which had come after a few crime incidents against the foreigners in the country,” they said.
As per plans, the Union Tourism Ministry had decided to depute native speakers of these six languages to man the Info line to be available 24X7 hours basis. The move aims to build confidence of tourists on ‘Incredible India’, Pravez Dewan, Tourism Secretary had said at an event early this year.
However, it is yet to happen. In fact a recent survey by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India had found that nearly 72 percent of tour operators had a number of cancellations in the last three months — usually a busy tourist season — especially by the female visitors from countries such as Canada, the United States and Australia.
The survey had come soon after the fatal gang-rape of a 23-year-old Indian student by six men on a bus in New Delhi in December that had sparked outrage at the country’s treatment of women. Some incidents of crime against foreigners were also reported soon after.
A Swiss cyclist was gang-raped in Madhya Pradesh early this year, while a South Korean tourist was allegedly drugged and raped in the same state in January by the son of the owner of a hotel where she was staying.