Indian Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi has said foreign tourist arrivals witnessed increase in first three months of this year as compared to previous year.
New Delhi, April 26/Nationalturk – With sexual offence cases witnessing sharp rise India, Indian Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi has rejected reports that rape incidents have hit the tourism sector in the country, saying foreign tourist arrivals witnessed 2.3 per cent increase in first three months of this year as compared to previous year.
The number of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during January, February and March 2013 have registered positive growth over the corresponding months of 2012,” Chiranjeevi said.
He said as against 0.681 million foreign tourist arrivals in January 2012, 0.699 million foreign tourists visited India in January 2013. “Similarly, the foreign tourist arrivals in February 2013 was up by 1.6 per cent compared to February 2012. As against 0.677 million tourist arrivals in February 2012, 0.688 million tourists visited India in February this year”.
The tourism minister further said in March this year 0.640 million tourists visited India. “The figure stood at 0.623 million in March 2012. Thus March witnessed 2.8 per cent rise in foreign tourist arrivals in the country”.
He said as again 19.81 million tourist arrivals in first three months of 2012, 20.27 million tourists visited India in January-March this year. “There has been an overall increase of 2.3 per cent in foreign tourist arrivals in India in first three months of 2013”.
“The Ministry of Tourism has posted its advisory on the website www.incredibleindia.org indicating that India remains a safe destination for international visitors including women tourists,” Chiranjeevi said adding India remains a safe destination for foreign tourists.
Study had claimed foreign tourist arrivals decreased
Earlier, the survey conducted ASSOCHAM Social Development Foundation had claimed that there has been a decrease of 25% in foreign tourist inflow and a decrease of 35% in women foreign tourist inflow in India since December 2012 when a 23-year old female student was gang raped by six persons in a moving bus in Indian capital, New Delhi. The incident caused outrage in India with people taking to roads all over India and demanding severe punishment including awarding of death penalty to the rapists.
There has been no let up in rape incidents and sexual offences against women in India since then. In the recent instance a five-year-old girl was raped after being abducted from outskirts of Indian capital. She is undergoing treatment in a hospital.
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Faiz Ahmad / NationalTurk India News
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