Earthquake fails to hit tourism in Darjeeling Hills

DARJEELING, 21 SEPT: Despite the recent earthquake there has been no cancellation in booking for the festive season in the Hills though enquiries are pouring in from visitors, said most of the hoteliers in Darjeeling.
“There is widespread rumour that tourists have started cancelling their bookings in many hotels across the Hills, but that is not true. So far we have not received any calls for cancellation though we are getting enquiries if it would be safe to travel to the region,” said Mr Suresh Periwal, the director of Clubside Tours and Travels and chairman of the north Bengal and Sikkim unit of the Indian Association of Tour Operators.
Just a day after the earthquake rocked the Hills, several tourists along with outstation students were seen fleeing from the region. However, with things returning to normal the tourism industry hopes that this festive season will not be as bad. The industry has already been hit hard by three years of continuous agitation. Mr Periwal added that false information provided by a part of the media might influence the tourism industry in an adverse way. “Yesterday a news channel was reporting that one lakh houses have been damaged in the Hills. I am a resident of Darjeeling I know that the information is completely false and if such things continue, it might affect our business," added Mr Periwal.
The district magistrate of Darjeeling, Dr S Mohan, on being asked whether it would be safe for tourists to visit the Hills, he said: “The tourist have nothing to worry about. It is completely safe for them to travel here." He added that the roads that have been blocked by landslides following the earthquake have been cleared. The manager of the local Swiss Hotel, Mr Paras Dahal, said that reservations in his hotel have not yet been cancelled. “I received a few enquiry calls but nobody has called to cancel their booking. We have informed them the infrastructure has not been hampered much, including water supply," he said. Another hotel manager, Mr Rajesh Rajak of hotel Anand Palace in Darjeeling. echoed him.
Compared to the last few years, there has been a considerable rise in hotel bookings in the Hills, starting from the first week of October. Other related establishments, including, restaurants, transport, shops and so on, are also expecting a rise in business.
SNS