UDAIPUR: Even as the life crawling back to normalcy in Udaipur after the June 28 horrific murder of Kanhaiya Lal Teli by two Muslim men, the people in the town that attracts tourists from across the globe says that the business of tourism took massive hit following the incident.
Acknowledging that the incident had shook the entire country led to massive cancellations of hotel bookings by tourists.
Speaking to The New Indian, Thakur Chandra Bhanu Singh said, “This incident (murder of Kanhaiya) not only shook just Udaipur and Rajasthan but also the whole country.”
Singh said the business in Udaipur is tourism and everyone here is directly or indirectly involved in this business.
“There are around 4,500 hotels here, but as soon as the news broke, ‘terrifying cancelation’ happened. I’m using the word terrifying because in July we are always all booked, but now it has come down to just one or two rooms,” he said.
He said that there were also people who had already left for Udaipur and had nowhere to go. All the markets and shops were closed.
Singh also said that there are daily wagers who are depended on tourism. Now they are helpless and probably sleeping with empty stomach. Because of the curfew no one was even stepping out of their homes and even the police was very strict.
Singh loaded the spirit of the city for showing “brotherhood and harmony” as thousands of people joined the Rath Yatra of Jagdish Mandir during the curfew.
He said, “It (Rath Yatra) went out so smoothly and this is a very big thing. We all were worried that may be during the rath yatra what will happen if a riot breaks down. But everything went very smoothly and peacefully.”
Singh said that after the Rath Yatra, the district administration gave four hour relaxation which was eventually increased to 12 hours.
“Everything is coming back to normal. As far as tourism is concerned for people like us we recovered quite fast because there were bookings. People were calling to know the status. We told them everything is good, all the markets are open. We informed them that we have night curfew. Tourist are coming back and in the upcoming days everything will be back to normal,” Singh added.
The Lake Pichola hotel is located on the island of Bramhapuri on the western banks of Pichola lake. The hotel is away from the hustle-bustle of the congested old town, and yet, just a 5 minute walk to all the famous monuments, restaurants and cafes.
Ruchika Jain, an Udaipur based travel blogger, told The New Indian, “In last one year Udaipur city has won several awards. It is one of the safest city for women solo travellers.”
Jain, who is also an engineer by profession said that after the curfew in the city was relaxed, she has travelled across the city and feels that it is safe for solo travelers and foreign tourists who are willing to come to the city.
“The city has witnessed bonding between two communities for ages and people are strongly connected with each other,” she said.
“Over 3,000 tourists come to Udaipur every day and the old city area of Udaipur, which houses all the historical monuments and palaces have over 3,000 shops that does business of over Rs three crore on daily basis. They are all dependent on tourism,” he said.
Jain feels that al the people of the Udaipur are coming together once again and they are ready to welcome toursist from all across the world.
Appealing to tourists to come to the city, Jain said, “Udaipur appeals to everyone as welcoming tourists has been our culture and tradition and we are ready to welcome all.”