Drying berries, Orissa, India / Photo by Claire Prest
The southern district of Kandhamal in Orissa is still in the throws of communal violence. The brutalities tap into more socio-economic issues than religion alone and highlight the State Government’s failure to address deep-rooted development and security concerns. For more information about the issues behind the recent events in Kandhamal I suggest the following links:
Without taking away from the seriousness of the continuing violence in Kandhamal I would like to focus on how these events have affected tourism in Orissa and the reaction of the travel industry. Naturally reports of communal violence in Kandhamal have a negative impact on the entire state. Travellers planning to visit Orissa are thinking twice. Some delay their plans in the hope the situation will regain control, while others reach out for advice.
Many travellers and travel companies outside the state rely on the information provided to them by local operators and it is the inherent responsibility of these operators to provide true and honest answers. Unfortunately fear of losing business has clouded the judgment of many operators here. Local travel companies choosing to turn a blind eye to the events in Kandhamal are putting their own clients and themselves at risk. Not only is it highly irresponsible, but unnecessary. There are other alternatives and different approach routes; Kandhamal is one of 30 districts in Orissa. Why push into a region in the grip of such insecurity? The simple reason: most of these tour operators do not travel. They are not capable of changing an itinerary in the face of political instability because they are unfamiliar with any other route that deviates from the route they have been travelling for the last 20 odd years.
My only hope is that the unfortunate situation in Kandhamal forces some of the tour operators in Orissa to look outside the box, learn more about the region they wish to promote and diversify their products.
[...] Kandhamal: Tourisms Response To Communal Clashes [...]