Port Blair, Jan 12 (Representative) Protesting against the administration’s decision to close all tourism sports in South Andaman following a surge in Covid19 cases, tour operators in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Wednesday urged the authorities to reopen tourism activities, the mainstay of the economy in the archipelago. On Tuesday, nearly 300 tourist vehicle drivers and other stakeholders gathered near the Tourism Department office here and staged a protest against the administration’s decision. Meanwhile, the Andaman Association of Tour Operators (AATO) President M Vinod said the sudden closure of tourist spots and tourism activities has caused chaos amongst the stakeholders as well as tourists. The industry stakeholders are already under heavy debt and losses due to the closure of tourism activities starting from March 2020, said Vinod.
To prevent irreversible damage to the tourism economy and to prevent the devastation of livelihoods, the administration should consider reopening all tourism spots in South Andaman District and North & Middle Andaman District with strict adherence to COVID protocols,” Vinod told UNI on Wednesday. Vinod has also written to the Chief Secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Administration and suggested a cap on the number of people at each tourist spot to avoid overcrowding. The stipulations may be relaxed as the Covid situation improves. “Any action or decision taken with regard to the tourism industry may be taken in consultation with the stakeholders who are directly affected by the actions or decisions so taken,” said Vinod, assuring compliance of COVID appropriate behaviour by visitors as also stakeholders of the industry.