Hospitality sector looks forward to increase in tourist footfall as retreat ceremony resumes on Attari-Wagah border

A day after resumption of the Beating Retreat ceremony for spectators, hospitality, tour and travel, taxi and auto operators, and eating joints once again look forward to recover from the crisis with increase in footfall of customers. They are anticipating positive change in the upcoming summer holidays.

Hawkers Mandeep Singh, 25, and Prince Singh, 28, who sell tricolour flags, caps, pens, key chains and T-shirts to visitors at the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post heaved a sigh of relief after resumption of the retreat ceremony. Residents of Attari village, they were unemployed for the last 12 days. They had been earning a living by selling various items to visitors for the past several years. They thanked the Indian Government for once again allowing visitors at Attari. They said porters were financially hurt after India closed the Integrated Check post (ICP). The ICP was only importing cargo from Afghanistan. At present, porters get employment in different daily wage professions to earn their living.

Escalation in tension between India and Pakistan had reduced the flow of tourists which ultimately affected the income of people who had dhabas and tea stalls and those who sold national flags, tri-colour caps and other items to visitors at the Attari border.

At least 150 hawkers sell different items to visitors in front of the Joint Check Post (JCP) and ICP which also serves as a land route to enter Pakistan.

There are several shops and kiosks which sell tea, snacks, biscuits and soft drinks to visitors. Some dhabas located before the JCP, which serve freshly cooked meals, solely depend upon tourists for their earning. These eateries have found a new lease of life with the arrival of tourists from across the country. On way from Amritsar to Attari, a stretch of around 30 km, there are several restaurants, eating joints and stores which depend upon tourists for their earnings. Their sales crashed with the decline in the number of tourists.

An auto driver Arshdeep Singh said after a long time, he was getting passengers whom he ferried to Attari and back to the city. He said scores of auto-rickshaw operators ferried tourists to Attari and back to the city. All of them had returned to main points, including Heritage Street and railway link road, where they met passengers.

A hotelier Jaswinder Singh said tourists had returned to the holy city. He said their footfall was still low. He said opening of border for visitors meant that they could stay at least one night in the city after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple. With peace returning to the region, he hoped that footfall of tourists might return to normal during the summer vacation.