Kolkata/Darjeeling, 9 August
In view of the turmoil in the Hills regarding statehood, the UK government has issued a travel advisory for its citizens, discouraging them from visiting Darjeeling and Sikkim. The advisory, issued by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) first on 6 August, is being renewed everyday, making it valid for all current and future travels to these destinations.
The north Bengal and Sikkim tourism industry is viewing this as a major blow, considering that about 65 per cent of their foreign tourists come from the UK and Germany. Mr Raj Basu, tourism advisor to the Sikkim government and chair of the Cross-Border Committee, Adventure Tour Operators’ Association of India, expressed fear that other Schengen countries such as France, Germany, Poland, Spain and Italy etc might also follow suit if the Hills do not stabilise at once.
The UK advisory states that the indefinite strike in Darjeeling that began on 3 August continues with widespread protests and sporadic violence in some areas and that although the NH-31A, the only road link to Sikkim, is open, “disruption in Darjeeling may also affect visitors to Sikkim as (the) roads to the state run through the Hills and may close at short notice.”
The advisory warns UK citizens saying: “If you choose to remain in this area, there is a risk of being stranded and becoming caught up in any subsequent incidents…. The level of consular assistance that the British High Commission can provide in these areas may be very limited for the duration of the strike.”
Mr Basu said that timing of the UK travel warning could not have been any worse. “The Centre is all set to launch a ‘777 Days in the Indian Himalayas’ tourism campaign on 27 September and its main focus is Darjeeling-Sikkim. But with the UK now issuing the negative advisory, we will miss out even more than what we could have gained from it. This is because our tourism market is Europe-oriented and not the US.”
Meanwhile, the Darjeeling district administration on Friday ordered three cable TV operators to stop airing news on the grounds that the bulletins were heavily slanted towards the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha, which is striving for statehood. Reacting to this, GJMM president Bimal Gurung said it was “Taliban-style" and violated people's democratic rights. “We will not be surprised if mobile telephony is stopped next,” he said.
In view of the turmoil in the Hills regarding statehood, the UK government has issued a travel advisory for its citizens, discouraging them from visiting Darjeeling and Sikkim. The advisory, issued by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) first on 6 August, is being renewed everyday, making it valid for all current and future travels to these destinations.
The north Bengal and Sikkim tourism industry is viewing this as a major blow, considering that about 65 per cent of their foreign tourists come from the UK and Germany. Mr Raj Basu, tourism advisor to the Sikkim government and chair of the Cross-Border Committee, Adventure Tour Operators’ Association of India, expressed fear that other Schengen countries such as France, Germany, Poland, Spain and Italy etc might also follow suit if the Hills do not stabilise at once.
The UK advisory states that the indefinite strike in Darjeeling that began on 3 August continues with widespread protests and sporadic violence in some areas and that although the NH-31A, the only road link to Sikkim, is open, “disruption in Darjeeling may also affect visitors to Sikkim as (the) roads to the state run through the Hills and may close at short notice.”
The advisory warns UK citizens saying: “If you choose to remain in this area, there is a risk of being stranded and becoming caught up in any subsequent incidents…. The level of consular assistance that the British High Commission can provide in these areas may be very limited for the duration of the strike.”
Mr Basu said that timing of the UK travel warning could not have been any worse. “The Centre is all set to launch a ‘777 Days in the Indian Himalayas’ tourism campaign on 27 September and its main focus is Darjeeling-Sikkim. But with the UK now issuing the negative advisory, we will miss out even more than what we could have gained from it. This is because our tourism market is Europe-oriented and not the US.”
Meanwhile, the Darjeeling district administration on Friday ordered three cable TV operators to stop airing news on the grounds that the bulletins were heavily slanted towards the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha, which is striving for statehood. Reacting to this, GJMM president Bimal Gurung said it was “Taliban-style" and violated people's democratic rights. “We will not be surprised if mobile telephony is stopped next,” he said.
- SNS
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