Curbs keep Andaman from revival

The travel trade and hospitality associations in Andaman and Nicobar Islands have requested the local administration and government to revive tourism and remove restrictions on operation of flights and ferries. Domestic flight arrivals at Port Blair Airport have come down 11 per cent since January 2020, which means only two flights a day.

Manas Dwivedi

With tourism being a major source of employment and income generation in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the situation there can only be adverse in present times, with the region not having received tourists for the last seven months. Even after the UT’s administration decided to open tourism activities from September 27, tourists and industry stakeholders are facing major hindrances in reviving the tourism sector, with flight and transport restrictions in the island. In comparison to 18 flight arrivals in January 2020, the local administration has put a cap on the number of daily inbound domestic flights, and just two flights are allowed to operate a day. Additionally, there is a complete restriction on inter-island ferry service, which is the prime source of transport between Swaraj Dweep and Shaheed Dweep.

Stakeholders and travel trade associations have been requesting the administration and government to issue clear guidelines on reopening and better execution on ground, so that tourists don’t get discouraged from visiting the islands. Associations like IATO and FHRAI have already written to the Lieutenant Governor, Tourism Minister and Home Ministry for support in removing restrictions and for revival, while private players like MakeMyTrip have also written to the Chief Secretary of Andaman & Nicobar Islands seeking immediate measures to support livelihood, income generation and employment in the industry.

Industry speaks

Sharing his view on the issue, Mohammad H Jadwet, President, Ship/Ferry Owners Association, says, “Connectivity and tourism go hand-in-hand and are especially vital for Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Due to the restrictions on flights at the Port Blair airport and non-operation of ferry services, no tourists are setting foot on the islands. In fact, most of them are getting diverted to Maldives, where connectivity is not an issue. This is also hampering our Prime Minister’s clarion call of ‘Vocal for Local’. So, this needs to be corrected sooner than later as the tourism industry on the islands is going through a very hard time.”

To this, Girish Arora, Secretary, Hotel Association of Andaman, adds, “Tourism is the only industry on the islands generating about `750 crore of revenue. Since March, there has been no arrival of tourists here, unlike destinations in other parts of the country that are showing early signs of revival and where hotels are getting visitors either in the form of those needing quarantine or others who have begun travelling to nearby places.”