Boom in tourism, but where’s Atithi Devo Bhava?

Dr Teng Yupvow, a tourist from China exclaimed, “When I went for shopping today, one of the young boys at a shop, caught hold of my hand and dragged me inside. That’s not the way to do business! Also the beggars kept following us and pestered us to donate some money

In the past couple of months, Old City was flooded with tourists, due to holidays for Dasara and Diwali. Foreigners and people from all over the country, thronged the historic sites and museums. While the city saw a dip in tourism due to agitations and other flare ups in the initial months of the year, the festive season brimmed with a lot of tourists.

Last weekend, the magnificent Chowmahalla Palace and the Salar Jung Museum were crowded with visitors, who were seen negotiating for parking space and tickets. The Chowmahalla Palace saw close to 16,000 visitors per day against the regular 8,000 and Salar Jung Museum saw approximately 1,200 tourists per day against the regular 600-700.

The other two shrines, Charminar and the Mecca Masjid, too were jam-packed. Officials say that the festive season and holidays were a blessing in disguise as footfalls shot up tremendously. Business at petty establishments boomed with this meteoric rise in tourists in the past few weeks. There are so many who visited Hyderabad and especially the Old City who bargained and made great purchases.

“The culture here is that the shopkeeper would first tell you a rate, which is almost double the worth of the product. Only a localite or a regular visitor from outside can figure out the right value, while the others end up benefitting the businessmen”, says Rekha, a regular shopper.

While this boom in business is a boost to traders and a shot in the arm for tourism, there’s a flip side too, which might leave Hyderabad’s head, hanging in shame. The tourists have to face quite a few problems, from eve-teasing by auto drivers to being taken for a ride by traders. Shalini, a middle-aged woman said, “I am from Nanded and I come to Charminar every year during the festive season for shopping. What I notice is that auto drivers ask us exorbitant rates, once they figure out that we do not belong to the city.”

Dr Teng Yupvow, a tourist from China exclaimed, “When I went for shopping today, one of the young boys at a shop, caught hold of my hand and dragged me inside. That’s not the way to do business! Also the beggars kept following us and pestered us to donate some money.”

“We haven’t got any complaints from the tourists, regarding harassment near Charminar, as the police station is situated in the shopping area. But we did receive a lot of complaints of thefts”, said S Mohan Kumar, inspector, Charminar PS.

Unmindful of the traffic and the festival shopping, there are regular visitors who lap up the breathtaking view from the top of Charminar and glance through the antiques in the Salar Jung Museum and Chowmahalla Palace. Recent statistics suggest that Andhra Pradesh is one of the top favored destination for tourism which has projected Charminar as a must-see monument. Out of the 42 protected monuments that are spread across the twin cities, eight are ticketed, including the Golconda.

However Falaknuma Palace, which was a big attraction previously for tourists, is no longer counted in the big league.

“I think the communal peace that prevailed this year during Diwali, unlike last few years, is what brought back the hustle and bustle at the sites”, says a businessman.