Delhi air pollution driving tourists away and spurring rise in locals looking to leave the city
- Bookings and travel searches for New Delhi from areas including Singapore, Thailand and Qatar have fallen 44 per cent since pollution hit record levels
- Meanwhile, bookings and queries from New Delhi to other destinations have increased 25 per cent
Business travellers and tourists are avoiding New Delhi as air pollution in India’s capital reached record levels, travel agents said.
Booking inquiries for hotels and flights to New Delhi have slumped since the Hindu festival of Diwali on October 27, said Sharat Dhall, chief operating officer of the business-to-consumer segment at Yatra Online.
The bursting of firecrackers as part of the festivities worsened pollution caused by the burning of farm stubble in areas around the capital city.
Business travellers are looking to reschedule their visits to a later date, Dhall said in an email. He added that tourists are preferring Himalayan hill stations and destinations in the state of Rajasthan, home to the Thar desert, over New Delhi, famous for its 12th-century Qutab Minar tower and the Red Fort, built in the 17th century.
