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Coronavirus- Tourism hit due to ban on foreigners in Sikkim, Bhutan
The Indian state of Sikkim, which shares borders with China, Bhutan and Nepal, had announced on Thursday that it will not issue Inner Line Permit (ILP) to foreigners, including Bhutan nationals.
Restriction on movement imposed due to coronavirus threat is impacting tourism in the northeastern regions of India and also in Bhutan, industry professionals said on Friday.
The dip in tourism is mainly due to the ban on entry of foreigners announced by Sikkim yesterday and by Bhutan on Friday after an American tourist travelling from India was tested positive for the deadly disease after his arrival at Paro, about 50km from capital Thimpu.
The Indian state of Sikkim, which shares borders with China, Bhutan and Nepal, had announced on Thursday that it will not issue Inner Line Permit (ILP) to foreigners, including Bhutan nationals.
It also announced a blanket ban to visits to Nathula pass on the Indo-China border.
“Following the announcements, more than 1500 tourists who were returning from Phuentsholing, the border town in Bhutan, are facing difficulty,” said Suresh Thakuri, president of Jaigaon Travel Welfare Association.
The immigration office at Phuentsholing has been closed, said Sangey Tenzing a Bhutan immigration department official.
M K Sharma, health minister of Sikkim, told HT: “We are monitoring all foreigners who are in Sikkim and those who had been to China. There are no signs of anyone affected by the virus.
In 2019, more than 1.2 million Indian tourists visited Sikkim and the number of foreigners visiting Sikkim stood at 133,388. Among the foreigners, Bangladeshis accounted for 60,542 visitors followed by Nepal with 56,781 visitors.
The others came from USA (2250), Germany (1674), UK (1412), Australia (1129), France (1121), Thailand (899), Malaysia (744) and Canada (568).
Samrat Sanyal, general secretary of Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network said “Though the tourism industry has taken a heavy toll in Bhutan, we were accommodating Indian tourists in other destinations such as Sikkim and Darjeeling.
In a statement, Sikkim governor Ganga Prasad said, “In view of the impending Holi festival this week, I advise my fellow Sikkimese to avoid celebrating Holi in-crowd. I urge everyone to follow absolute hygiene and precautionary measures while enjoying the festival of colours among friends and family members.”
Though all tourists are banned from entering Bhutan, trucks carrying essentials from India to Bhutan are plying normally.
