Number of B'deshi tourists wane as Corona scare grows

Kolkata: Tourist footfall in the city from Bangladesh has seen a significant dip in the wake of coronavirus scare, claimed tour operators on Sunday.

"There has been reduction of 50 percent tourists coming from Bangladesh to Kolkata due to coronavirus phobia. Every day, at least 300 people used to come to Kolkata from Bangladesh by bus. This apart, several Bangladeshi tourists also used to come to the city. However, the reduction in their footfall started 10 days ago. At present, they are coming to the city for business purpose only," said Mohammad Tanvir of New City Travels.

Bangladeshi tourists visiting India have outnumbered the tourists that came to visit India from Europe in 2019. Around 2.15 million and 2.25 million Bangladeshi tourists have travelled to India in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

"Yes, it is true that the number of Bangladeshi tourists coming to Kolkata is decreasing," said Indranil Sengupta of Balaka Tours and Travels.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh on Sunday confirmed its first three cases of coronavirus in the country.

"The affected people are aged between 20 and 35 and two of them have returned from Italy recently," Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research Director Meerjady Sabrina told reporters.

As a safety precaution, screening is being done at 21 major airports along with 12 major and 65 small ports in India.

"A relative of mine is getting married on March 12. Despite the coronavirus phobia, my

relatives are coming to Kolkata to attend the marriage ceremony," said a resident of Kolkata who has relatives in Bangladesh.

Coronavirus was first identified by health authorities in Wuhan, the sprawling capital of Central China's Hubei province. It is also a commercial centre, divided by the Yangtze and Han rivers.

It is transmitted through droplets and fomites during close unprotected contact with those who are infected with the virus.