Biz worth Rs.15,000 cr during event

Industry body the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) has estimated that the overall business during the two-month-long Kumbh Mela could touch anywhere between R12,000 crore-15,000 crore.

In a forecast paper on Maha Kumbh Mela 2013—Possible Revenue Generation Resources for Uttar Pradesh, it has projected that Maha Kumbh will not just reap short-time benefits, but will also have a long-time benefit.

"Airlines, hotels, tour operators and the state, all are likely to witness a substantial boom period, and are likely to contribute R12,000 crore (in) revenue to the state coffers," the paper states. It has been projected that Maha Kumbh will generate additional employment opportunities for a workforce of over six lakh in sectors such as airlines and airports, hotels, tour operators besides medical and eco-tourism.

The unorganised sectors will also gain.

The estimates of the paper further reveal that during Maha Kumbh, about 1 million international foreign tourists are expected to visit India. DS Rawat, Assocham secretary general, says Australia, UK, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, New Zealand, Mauritius, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka will be the main countries from where tourists are expected to attend the Maha Kumbh.

"The hotel industry is aiming at 100% occupancy rate for the Maha Kumbh, which currently is 70% on an average, and will witness a growth of 25% during Maha Kumbh from the current growth rate of 15%, including small, budget and luxury hotels. National and international media will arrive in large numbers. The duration of foreign tourists' stay in India will be 20-30 days. This is likely to employ over 2.5 lakh skilled and unskilled workforce," it states.

"Apart from Allahabad, other nearby states like Rajasthan (Jaipur, Jabalpur, Udaipur, Bhilwara, Kota, etc), Uttarakhand (Nainital, Mussoorie, Auli, Dehradun, Haridwar, Ranikhet and Almora), UP (Agra and Lucknow) Punjab (Amritsar, Chandigarh and Ludhiana) and Himachal Pradesh (Shimla, Kufri and Manali) will also be major beneficiaries in revenue generation, where large number of foreign tourists are expected to explore tourist destinations," says Rawat.

... contd.

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