Staring into the abyss

India, the third most affected country in the world by rising COVID-19 cases after the United States and Brazil, cannot be ready to receive international visitors, can it? At 878,254 confirmed cases (at the time of going to press) according to the World Health Organization’s latest statistics on the spread of the disease, not far behind Brazil at this rate which stands at 1,839,850 cases, the door to receiving foreign tourists is far from ajar. In fact, it is sealed shut! Is it then the right time to mull a strategy to woo the foreign traveller? Today, countries that are gradually opening up have already begun formulating policies and putting safety measures in place. Some others, in fact, have even begun welcoming foreign tourists while having done away with quarantine requirements altogether. Spain, once the second most-affected European country that stands at approximately 253,908 cases, has already declared that foreign visitors will no longer have to undergo a 14-day quarantine. But, is India anywhere close? Which are the right predictions and which aren’t when the nature of the virus is such that it changes things every minute? Who has the right answers? Another concern that arises out of a prematurely hatched strategy besides our unconfirmed preparedness in terms of safety infrastructure for foreign arrivals (including those at tourist facilities and hotspots), is the competitive edge that our neighbouring countries are gaining each second that confirmed cases in India surge. As willing tourists begin to flock to these newly-secure destinations, India could be losing out on an opportunity and hence, a strategy formulated today may not be viable a few months (an optimistic estimate) down the line. That brings us to the subject of advisories and assurances. Today, we need a unified set of travel guidelines for India’s 28 states and 8 Union Territories, an absence of which could curtail the predicted growth of domestic tourism. We must also look at the readiness of tourism ancillaries such as insurance providers. Once we have that in place, and the regional and domestic traveller begins to gain confidence to travel, should we think about a strategy for international arrivals. Let’s not act in haste; let’s pre-empt a disaster in the making should we open that door to foreign tourists.