Lok Sabha polls attract foreign tourists to India

New Delhi: India’s tourism industry is witnessing a boom thanks to the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, which have fuelled interest in foreign visitors to throng the nation to witness electioneering in the world’s largest democracy, according to an Assocham study.

During the election period, there is likely to be an upsurge of 10 to 15 per cent in tourists visiting India from the US, UK, UAE, France and Singapore, among others, besides over 62 rise in domestic tourists, who are travelling for electioneering, the study found.

Online travel portals have noticed a rise in bookings to destinations, which are political hubs and places where major rallies have been scheduled.

Flight bookings for Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Gujarat and other high profile constituencies are up 15 per cent in the past two weeks, most online tour operators polled by the survey said.

Moreover, there is an increase of over 15-20 per cent in rail bookings in the Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi and about 10 per cent increase in the Lucknow-Ayodhya route, the survey said.

A large number of coaches, cars, and taxies are being booked for travel to Varanasi from Delhi and nearby towns. The high-profile contests in Uttar Pradesh, especially in Varanasi and Lucknow, have come as a boon for travel agents, it said.

The industry chamber surveyed nearly 500 tour operators from different cities and found that there is an increase in tourism business to the extent of 20 per cent, mainly because of the Lok Sabha election 2014.

Many tour operators are offering the “election tourism package” which includes visit to public rallies, poll campaigns, meeting party leaders and Election Commission officers, the study said.

Owing to increase in tourists, the polls have also given tremendous boost to the hospitality sector such as budget hotels, and guest-houses, besides transport sector by rise in hiring of taxis, buses, three-wheelers and railways, the study said.