Latest Airlines News

India’s tourism minister, Ambika Soni, has said that global economic conditions have significantly hurt the country’s tourism sector, in comments made the day after the tourist board revised its growth rate for this year down to five per cent, from the earlier-projected 15 per cent.

The attacks on Mumbai are making the five per cent growth figure potentially unachievable, as industry experts suggest that India’s high season for tourism could have been undermined just as it was getting underway.

Vijay Thakur, who is president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), said: “We were worried about the economic slowdown and its impact on the tourism industry but this is a direct attack on our industry as it has targeted hotels and foreigners.”

He added: “This is the peak period for the tourism sector and we were hoping business would pick up in a month. But now we don’t think that might happen. It is too early to say how big an impact it will have but it definitely looks like the sector will be hit badly.”

According to the tourism executive, the attacks in Mumbai were the first time in India that foreigners and hotels have been targeted. He suggested that this will dampen the enthusiasm of inbound tourists for some time.

Kingfisher Airlines’ chairman and chief executive, Vijay Mallya, stressed that the attacks were a catastrophe and that: “We are reviewing our flight schedules in and out of Mumbai.”

Thanks to www.travelmole.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

(ASAP)