LTC tourism makes Andaman islanders restless

Port Blair, Sep 10 (UNI) Swelling number of tourists in Andaman on Leave Travel Concession (LTC) have made thousands of local residents of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Andaman Chamber of Commerce (ACCI) restless.

''We need to stop the LTC tourism as it is not helping the local economy. Only a few tour operators of mainland India, some airlines and LTC tourists are going away with the cake,'' ACCI general secretary G Bhasker told UNI here today.

After the tsunami in 2004, the Centre had arranged LTC tourism for Andaman and Nicobar Islands to revive the badly hit tourism industry of the lush green islands but many believe that the LTC tourism has now back-fired.

People allege that because of a huge scam some tour operators sitting in mainland India are earning easy profit together with some airlines by blocking bulk tickets creating problems for local residents and tour operators of Andaman.Some mainland tour agencies are now offering roll-back of six to eight thousands rupees per head for LTC tourists and blocking all low rate tickets to Andaman. '' LTC tourists are visiting Andaman just for getting this extra profit and having an experience of air-travel, they spend nothing on these islands,'' Mr Bhaskar said.

''None of these LTC tourists are spending more than 1000 rupees on Andaman but are exploiting our natural resources, which if thrown open for high value tourists, these islands could earn much more for everybody here,'' Samir Acharya, an environmentalist and the Secretary of Society for Andaman and Nicobar Ecology (SANE) said.

The ACCI delegation has reportedly complained the same to the Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel recently.

At present 11 flights are landing daily at Port Blair, jam-packed with LTC tourists, who are traveling with a low fare tickets but people of Andaman and Nicobar Islands are allegedly getting only high-fare tickets.

UNI