Karnataka sees rapid growth in foreign tourists

State perceived as safe, rich in cultural heritage, traditions

Brigade Road in Bangalore is a popular spot for foreign tourists.

By Rutvick Mehta

BANGALORE (Sept. 22)—Don’t be surprised if you see hordes of foreign tourists at Bangalore Airport next time you are there—Karnataka is bouncing back as a popular Indian tourist destination.

The first six months of 2011 saw more tourists visiting the state than in the whole of 2010. Tourism in Karnataka saw one of its worst years in 2009 as the Mumbai terrorist attacks in November of the previous year impacted the tourism industry throughout India.

But since then, tourism has been recovering in Karnataka. According to the Karnataka Tourism Department , 520,000 foreign tourists visited the state in 2008; the figure plummeted to 230,000 in 2009; there were 325,000 in 2010; and in the first six months of this year, 325,000 foreigners spent time holidaying in Karnataka.

K. Vishwanatha Reddy, director of the tourism department, said: “Karnataka has proven to be a safe haven. No major incident or threats of terror have been witnessed here.”

“Besides, we have undertaken aggressive campaigns to develop and promote tourism in Karnataka.” Reddy said. “We have participated in tourism fairs abroad, road shows and have done Internet campaigns using Facebook and Twitter.”
Reddy also said the department has streamlined the system of collection of data.

“We now have a broader base and method for collecting data about foreign tourists throughout the state,” he said.

The iconic Mysore Palace is seen lit up during the Dussera Festival.

Mysore, Hampi among most popular destinations

According to Reddy, Karnataka is an ideal destination for foreign tourists as it has places that are rich in culture and tradition, like Mysore and Hampi.

Rudolph Cooper, a tourist from Netherlands who was visiting Bangalore recently, told The SoftCopy: “We are traveling to places mostly down south like Mysore, Coorg, Hassan, Hampi and Kerala.”

However, even Bangalore attracts a lot of tourists from around the world. Hans Loffler, the German consul general, said: “Bangalore is an interesting place for both businesspeople and tourists. The modern airport and the airline connection, the climate and other reasons also play a role.”

Rise in tourism benefits many

Private travel agencies too see an increase in business and hence profits. They agree that foreign tourism in Karnataka will boom. “We are expecting at least 10-12 percent increase in foreign tourist inflow this year,” said Channuyya, an executive at the Cox & Kings Ltd. travel agency in Bangalore. “October, November and December are the months when most foreign tourists come to Karnataka.” 

Due to the rise in foreign tourism, the demand for foreign exchange is also growing. “There was a lull for a few months in 2009. But since then, there has been a steady increase in the demand for foreign exchange,” said Ejaz, owner of MI&M Travel & Forex Pvt. Ltd. 

Inflow of foreign tourists in Karnataka since 2005

Room for improvement seen

Most foreign tourists whom The SoftCopy spoke to in Bangalore indicated they believe that Karnataka is a safer place than other parts of India.

“There are fewer incidents of terrorism in Bangalore and less communal violence than Mumbai or New Delhi for example,” said Remco Kruger, a tourist from the Netherlands. “It depends on which part of the world you come from—people from South America or Spain would have no apprehensions, whereas people from North Europe may find places in India too chaotic.”

Cooper said: “I had heard a little about the Mumbai attacks, but that did not bother me much when I made up my mind to come to India.”

However, there is still room for improvement for tourism in Karnataka. According to Channuyya, Karnataka has three major problems.