Wildlife bookings take a hit following India’s ban on tourism in tiger reserves
Skift Take
Tour operators and OTAs are used to a large number of winter reservations coming in by now, but they say bookings are down 15-20% from last year and fear India will be seen as unreliable to foreign tourists.
The rich bio-diversity of Indian forests and the grandeur of the Royal Bengal Tiger have been major draws for foreign tourists visiting India. However, the Supreme Court’s interim order, which temporarily banned tourism in core areas of tiger reserves, may have an adverse impact on foreign tourist arrivals (FTA) this year.
Sources in the travel and tourism industry said while winter (October-January) bookings have already begun, wildlife tour packages have suffered a major blow owing to the ban.
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