Port Blair, Jun 22: Mr. M Vinod, President, Andaman Association of Tour Operators and President, IATTE (Andaman Chapter) today demanded vaccination camp separately and exclusively for the tourism workforce of the islands so that each and every worker is vaccinated with at least one dose before the restart of tourism in the islands.
In his letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, the President of AATO expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the proactive measures taken by the Chief Secretary in this time of adversity.
“After having been through a deadly second wave, we all have concluded that the only exit from this pandemic is the vaccination of each and every individual. While the vaccination drive in Andaman’s is going with full steam and 100% coverage must be achieved, it is one industry that needs your urgent attention,” he mentioned
The tourism industry of Andamans, which is the single largest industry of the islands, employs thousands of islanders as well as citizens of mainland India.
“Tourism is the largest contributor to Andaman’s economy and it is imperative that its revival is deliberated upon at the earliest. However, the revival would not be possible unless 100% of the tourism workforce, starting from a cab driver to the General Manager of a star hotel, is inoculated with at least the first dose of the vaccine. Several states and UTs in India such as Kashmir, Kerala, and Kolkata etc. are already holding vaccination camps for their tourism workforce to enable quick and safe recovery of the tourism economy,” the President added to his letter.
The tourism industry and its stakeholder’s need the Administration’s every possible support today to come out of this tragedy that has struck for the second time. Vaccination of all is the first step towards that, Mr. Vinod pointed out.
