The Prime Minister of India startled the nation by giving a surprise announcement regarding the ban of 500 and 1000 rupee notes which had hit the Indians like a shock. As per the announcement, the demonetization would be effective from the 9th of November and the 500 and 1000 notes would be immediately replaced by INR 500 and 2000. This was indeed a bold move by Narendra Modi and hence it didn’t settle down well among the average Indian citizen and hence the country soon went into a situation of emergency.
Tourism is an industry that is always flourishing and it provides employment to more than thousands of people in the country. The tourism industry will soon experience the ramifications in the coming phase. Demonetization has affected many industries negatively and hence this post will tell you how it has affected travelers and how they should cope with it.
Demonetization and its impact on travelers
As entire India bids adieu to all the 500 and 1000 rupee notes, they are now nothing more than a piece of paper. The international tourists are facing the biggest problem, especially those who are there in the country already. For all those foreign travelers who are there in India, exchanging the currency of India into higher denominations of the Indian currency posed a big challenge for those who owned these currencies.
The majority of the dhabas, hotels, eateries, and lounges in the country aren’t still equipped with online or card transactions. Obtaining cash while standing in large queues in ATMs and banks is gradually getting extremely difficult and there seems to be no chance of improvement until few weeks pass. Even the basic expenses of travel, food, and shopping also became inconvenient for foreigners who are confused about what they should do with their cash.
Few ways of coping with the situation
Try to visit those places where credit cards and debit cards are accepted. Though a majority of the hotels and restaurants have adopted this online transaction feature, it would hence be better to control your trips and limit them within metro cities.
Despite the demonetization, the government has ordered railway stations and petrol pumps to accept the old currency so that they can provide some relief to the travelers.
The ATMs in the rural areas are struggling with minimum cash and massive lines. Hence, in case you fall short of funds, move to the metropolis where it’s easy to locate an ATM. It’s just that you have to hope that you’re lucky enough to be able to withdraw cash successfully.
Leverage apps like Paytm as they are offering immense help in tackling this situation. Most online shops and businesses support online transactions which are widely available these days.
The travel industry is definitely going to be affected due to demonetization but you don’t need to get mowed down as the phase will pass away eventually. Hence, let’s hope for the best for the travel and tourism industry.
Image source: https://pixabay.com/en/machu-picchu-peru-inca-tourism-43387/
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