Kaziranga rhino
Representative image.

Due to the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019, the Assam tourism industry has lost revenue collection of Rs 400 crore, said Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) chairman Jayanta Malla Baruah.

ATDC chairman Baruah claimed that due to the protests, many prospective domestic and foreign tourists had cancelled their visit to Assam and other parts of the Northeast.

A media report quoted Baruah as saying that December is the main tourism season of the state’s tourism sector and during this period, all the stakeholders involved in the tourism sector do good business.

The main tourism season in Assam starts from November and it continues till January next.

“Last year in December, a total of 4,504 foreign tourists had visited Assam and around 4.25 lakh domestic tourists had visited the state during the period,” the report quoted Baruah as saying.

If a similar situation continues in Assam then it will affect the tourism sector of the state and “our revenue collection also”, said Baruah.

“In 2018, the state tourism department had collected Rs 1,200-1,500 crore revenue and around 30 percent collected alone in the month of December. In this month, we had collected around Rs 300 to 400 crore till now,” said Baruah.

The report further quoted Baruah as saying: “If this type of situation continues then it will affect the tourism sector next year also because this message has gone out that Assam is not safe.”

However, he mentioned that the Assam government has launched emergency helpline numbers to help the people who face any difficulty.

He also informed that many people who were stranded have been rescued.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the United Kingdom also issued an advisory where it asked the British travellers to avoid protests and large gatherings.

“You should avoid protests and large gatherings. Stampedes have occurred during some events with large crowds, including at political rallies and religious gatherings, resulting in deaths and injuries,” the advisory told the British citizens travelling Northeast.