Buddhist circuit gets tsunami tremors

A Delhi-based tour operator said,“The Japanese tourists mean big business for the Buddhist circuit destinations. In their itineraries which span from 7 days to 15 days,they spend about $200 to $500 per day per person on lodging only. Apart from the hotels,they also bring in business for local shopkeepers and souvenir makers. The cancellations are a major loss to the circuit.”

In the last 10 days,over 15 groups and 12 individual tourists have cancelled their visits. V Verma of Impact Travels,an operator specialising in Buddhist Circuit tours,said,“This is the last set of tourists which we were to get this year. After April,tourist footfall gets really low because of the hot summer here. Every day,we are getting at least one cancellation. So far,5 of my groups have been cancelled and two individuals have not given their final clearances.”

Sandeep Kumar Gupta,a tour operator from Delhi who coordinates Buddhist circuit tours,said,“The Japanese tourists are amongst the richest. A group usually comprises 10 to 24 people,and it fetches an operator an income of Rs 3 to 4 lakh. So you can estimate our losses. And with each passing day,the number of cancellations is increasing.’’

RK Trivedi,a hotel owner in Varanasi,said,“Cancellations are coming almost every day. Our hotel in Varanasi and another one on Sarnath road have seen 10 cancellations so far.’’ Achintya Kumar,a hotel owner in Gorakhpur,which is a stop-over for tourists going to Kushinagar,said,“We were getting two groups of 10 each in April and both have been cancelled.’’