Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Verification Drive Against Tour Operators

With the recent spate of incidents in the capital targeting foreigners, Union tourism minister Kumari Selja has written to Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna, emphasizing that a verification drive be conducted against tour operators, tourist guides and other service providers. The ministry would like the process to be completed before the Commonwealth Games in October.

The move comes close on the heels of reports that two Dutch nationals were allegedly raped by two persons masquerading as tourist guides.

Following an inquiry, the tourism ministry found that the accused were touts. They were registered neither with the ministry nor with the Delhi government.

‘‘We are looking at this case seriously. We have asked the Delhi government and the Delhi police to check the antecedents of all service providers. We will provide them with a list of the registered agents, tour operators and guides. They must
check that people are not using fraudulent identity cards or putting up registration boards at their offices,’’ Sujit Banerjee, Union tourism secretary, said.

The ministry will also publicize a list of do’s and don’ts that foreign tourists will be advised to adhere to, including behavioral pattern and dress code in public. In several incidents, officials have observed that foreign tourists are gullible and do not have a clear understanding of the local culture and social norms.

‘‘For instance, there have been cases when a foreign tourist has shared a drink with her tour guide. Consequently, this may send out a wrong signal to the guide and he could misbehave. Tourists must always seek information from more than one person,’’ a travel industry stakeholder said.

Selja had reacted strongly to the alleged rape of two Dutch nationals. ‘‘I feel that the strongest possible action should be taken in these cases to ensure that the right message is sent,’’ she had said.

1 comments:

Bruce Martin said...

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