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Bar closure upsets Anil Kumar

According to Tourism minister closure of bars would affect tourism industry
Thiruvananthapuram: Tourism Minister A.P. Anil Kumar on Thursday expressed concern over the closure of bars saying that it would adversely affect tourism industry. At a press conference here he said representatives of the tourism industry had apprised him about the adverse impact that phased prohibition could have on the sector. “The tourism department has received suggestions from various sections about introducing liquor permits as was being done in prohibition state like Gujarat,’’ he said.
“We have not yet formally discussed any proposal regarding liquor permits. It is only a suggestion that has come up. We have an in built mechanism to monitor the flow of tourists particularly foreigners and the impact, if any, of closure of bars will be known only after a certain period of time. As of now we can’t say what kind of impact the decision might have on tourism industry,’’ he added.
The Minister said people in the tourism sector were particularly worried about foreign tourists. “It may be difficult to completely avoid alcohol in tourism sector as most foreign tourists enjoy their drink during holidays,’’ he said and added that representatives of tourism had cited the example of liquor permit system currently in place in Gujarat and some other places.
“Certainly, something is better than nothing. If liquor is made available to the tourists even on permit basis, it will reduce the impact of closure of bars on tourism industry to some extent,’’ said Jose Dominic, CEO CGH Earth, reacting to the Ministers observations. The present policy will not only lead to the collapse of tourism industry but also other sectors including IT,he said and added that it would also give rise to vigilante groups, encourage corruption among agencies which are entrusted with enforcement activities.
He said the liquor permit option would be feasible only if the norms for applying for such permission are simplified. “You cannot expect foreign tourists to run from pillar to post for obtaining permits at every tourist destination. All these issues needs to be discussed threadbare to make the system less complicated,’’ Jose Dominic said.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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