Kashi emerges from Covid blues, draws foreign tourists once again
Bookings and enquiries by overseas visitors pick up
VARANASI: The tourism sector in Varanasi (Kashi) hopes for good days post Covid-19. This optimism comes from the fact that foreign tourists have booked around 25% rooms in guest houses along the Ganga and over 3000 foreigners have visited Varanasi in the last three months.
Host of foreign dignitaries
Before Covid-19, a number of foreign dignitaries visited Kashi. They included the then Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2015, French President Emmanuel Macron in March 2018, German President Frank Walter-Steinmier in March 2018 and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth in January 2019. Post Covid-19, Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba paid a daylong visit to Varanasi on April 3.
Two-year lull
Owing to Covid-19, the absence of foreign tourists was palpable in Varanasi for the last two years. But now foreign tourists have started arriving in the temple town again. Though their number is very low, the trend is rising with each passing month.
The arrival of foreign tourists resumed in January 2022 when 380 tourists visited Varanasi. In February, the foreign tourists’ number increased to 693. Their number increased to around 2000 in March, said region tourism officer (Varanasi) Keertiman Srivastava.
Rising trend
The rising trend is an auspcious sign for the tourism industry in Varanasi, said Srivastava. The foreign tourists in Kashi include those from Mexico and some South American countries, too.
Before Covid-19, on an average, over 3.7 lakh (0.37 million) foreign tourists visited Kashi annually. Even in 2019, the figure was the same. It means every month over 32,000 visited the city. Post Covid, even the arrival of 2,000 foreigners is being considered a big figure and a rising trend.
Tourism Welfare Association (UP) president Rahul Mehta is also buoyed by foreign tourists visiting Kashi post Covid-19.
“Many guest houses and coffee shops in the lanes in mohallas (localities) along the Ganga here struggled for survival due to absence of foreign tourists in the city (due to Covid-19). Now that the foreign tourists have started visiting the city, the guest house owners and entire tourism sector sees a ray of hope after two years,” said Mehta.
Guest houses preferred
Around 25% rooms have been already booked, mostly online, in the guest houses and small hotels in different areas including Dashashwamedh and Assi, among others, said Mehta. The enquiry for bookings is coming daily, he said.
The foreign tourists prefer to stay in guest houses along the Ganga, take boat rides and sit in coffee shops near the river. They also spend hours in the lanes. Mehta said before Covid-19 hit Varanasi and the rest of the country in 2020, the peak season for foreign tourists began in September. Most of them used to go back by the first week of April. But now a new trend has started wherein many foreigners are keen on visiting Kashi in May and June, going by online booking of guest houses.
Mehta said tourism is a source of livelihood for a large number of people, including tourist guides, tour operators, drivers, paying guest owners and boatmen. Also, other trades, like the Banarasi silk business, are connected to it.
So when tourism thrives, other sectors flourish too.
Demand for guides
Sanjay Pal, a Sarnath-based tourist guide, said most foreign tourists hire guides but domestic travellers seldom do so.
“With a rise in the number of foreign tourists, the demand for tourist guides will increase and those like me will earn well,” he said.
Shambhu Majhi, a boatman, said foreign tourists bargain while hiring boats. “We make a good living when foreign tourists are in the city,” he said.
Varanasi has around 400 registered hotels, said an official in the department of tourism. Roughly, there are over 200 small guest houses and a number of paying guest houses, all of which depend on the foreign tourists for business, in Varanasi.
Domestic tourists
The number of domestic tourists visiting Varanasi is also on the rise. Around 7.45 lakh domestic tourists visited Varanasi in January and 12 lakh did so in January and February. The figure was equally encouraging in March.
Srivastava said that the tourism department is working on plans to organise some events at ghats to attract foreign tourists. The river cruises are already there, he added.
Pre-Covid days
The lull of the Covid years has been in sharp contrast to the pre-Covid days when Kashi welcomed world leaders. Back then, during Shinzo Abe’s 2015 visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he attended Ganga aarti. In March 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron and PM Modi took a boat ride from Assi Ghat to Dashashwamedh Ghat. Also in March 2018, German President Frank Walter- Steinmeier interacted with Banaras Hindu University students in Varanasi. He, too, took a boat ride and watched the Ganga aarti. In January 2019, Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth offered prayers at KV temple.
Nepal PM’s visit
During his visit on April 3, Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba offered prayers at the Kaal Bhairav and Kashi Vishwanath Temples. He also had a look at the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor. He offered prayers at Nepali temple, too.