Liquor ban in Bihar is apparently crippling the tourism industry. Statistics suggest that a steep drop has been recorded in the number of tourists visiting the state after imposition of ban on liquor.
Effect on the tourism industry because of complete ban on liquor is reportedly bigger than that which was recorded after Bodhgaya blast.
According to data from Tourism Directorate, there is a decline of about 21 lakh tourists after liquor ban was brought into effect.
In June 2015, about 6.5 tourists visited Bihar, while over 28.6 visitors were recorded in July of the same year. However, in June 2016 over 8 lakh people visited Bihar. In July, the number reduced to 15.5 lakh in comparison to the same month last year.
Experts say that the effect of liquor ban is far worse than the Bodhgaya incident that happened in 2013, when there was a drop of 3 lakh in foreign tourists.
Rajgir is the worst affected region in the area. While it recorded a footfall of about 25 lakh tourists last year in the month of June and July, this yera the number has slipped down to 1.5 lakh.
Furthermore, it has been noticed that foreign tourists have not been avoiding viisting Bihar as much as Indian tourists are.
The state's tourism industry, which was slowing picking momentum after 2005, is again suffering due to dwindling number of tourists.
