India's hotel industry has come together calling on the tourism and external affairs ministers to take up the issue of the latest travel advisory issued by the United States against India. The latest 'Level 4' (the highest) travel warning advises American nationals to desist from travelling to India.
The advisory comes even as India established an 'air bubble' with the US for flights between the two countries.
“As India has begun the process of opening up its air corridors, such an advisory for India is detrimental to kick starting all leisure, business and MICE (meetings and conferences) tourists from the US,” said a statement released on Monday noon by the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH), the umbrella body of travel, tourism and hotel industries in India.
The FAITH note also refers to the bigger danger, even as the Indian travel and tour sector, badly pummelled by the pandemic and its lockdown pains, struggles to get on its feet. “Additionally, travel advisory as such from the United States of America tends to send a wrong signal for the rest of the developed countries as they start opening up their international air travel.”
The US had altered its travel advisory routine as the pandemic hit five months ago, going in for a blanket Level 4 warning for all international travel. In early August, it withdrew this unprecedented order, bringing back its previous system of ranking countries 1 to 4, with countries rated at 4 reported to be the most dangerous for Americans to travel to.
The Level 4 warning for 50 countries, including India and China, specifies the danger with India. “Do not travel to India due to COVID-19. Exercise increased caution in India due to crime and terrorism.” The advisory also mentions America's Centres of Disease Control and Prevention's Level 3 Travel Health Notice for India, under which American travellers are encouraged to 'reconsider travel.'
The advisory further warns of border closures, airport shutdowns, travel bans, lockdown orders, business closures and other emergency conditions within India due to the coronavirus breakout. The US State Department particularly warned of travel to regions like Jammu and Kashmir as well as the India-Pakistan border.
To add insult to injury, India's fellow countries in the Level 4 list include Syria, Iran, Iraq, Yemen and Pakistan. “This is perceptually extremely poor for India,” says FAITH.
For India's travel and tourism industry, American tourists are crucial, as they tend to stay for more days (more than 29 days, compared to 22+ for travellers from other countries) as well as spend more. US travellers are estimated to have made more than 4 crore visits across Indian states in the last 10 years. “This is a strategic source of economic and job multiplier for India,” points out industry sources.