Port Blair, June 10: Mr. M Vinod President of Andaman Association of Tour Operators (AATO) and President of IATTE (Andaman Chapter) has written a letter to the Lt. Governor of A & N Islands and the Chief Secretary of A & N Administration regarding the hike in ticket price for Light and Sound shows.
He pointed out that the pandemic of Covid-19 has been cataclysmic and the strenuous pursuit of A&N administration throughout this war has been inspiring and praiseworthy.
“Amid the catastrophe, an order was passed by the Directorate of IP&T hiking the price of the Light and Sound shows at Cellular Jail and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island by leaps and bounds. This action stands all the more perturbing considering its timing,” he mentioned.
The President of AATO further pointed out that no industry has been devastated more by Covid-19 than the tourism industry of the islands which is unequivocally the backbone of the economy of the islands. At a juncture when the industry must collectively intensify efforts to encourage people to visit the islands by making the services economical, the hike in the show prices of the National Memorial and Netaji Island is denting the prospects of a quick recovery of tourism.
“He mentioned that it is also pertinent to state that Cellular Jail is the heritage pride of the islands and is visited by tourists of all economic strata. The objective has always been to enable every visitor to get a glimpse of the history of the freedom struggle. The price hike is a discouraging move, one that will impact every itinerary in the long run. The National Memorial or the Netaji Island must not be commercialized owing to their cultural and historical significance. Therefore the hike in price of Light and Sound shows of both Cellular Jail and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island to be reversed at earliest,” Mr. Vinod added.
