Ah, it’s the Taj!

The Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the world; every visiting dignitary to the country makes it a point to be photographed in front of the beauteous monument. Recently it garnered the ‘voter’s choice’ award among Asian destinations at the Asian Attractions Expo (AAE) 2010, held in Kuala Lumpur. It is the face of Incredible India.

But all’s not well with the city that locates three heritage monuments - the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri and the Red Fort. From being the cynosure of eyes to becoming an eyesore, Agra is in the grip of a decline. The past few years has seen a severe dip in tourist inflow into Uttar Pradesh. Both domestic and global tourists have started veering towards destinations in south India and Rajasthan.

The reasons are not difficult to find. Despite being a pilgrimage of love, the city has become a virtual nightmare city with a stinking Yamuna, its lifeline, and almost no basic infrastructures like drinking water and a workable drainage system. Even proper roads and cleanliness appear a far cry for the city, which clocks around 15,000 tourist footfalls daily and generates revenue of Rs 60 crore a year.

However, with the XIX Delhi Commonwealth Games about a couple of months away, the prima donna of Indian tourism is now being decked up to attract the onslaught tourists that the big event is expected to trigger. In anticipation, a never-seen-before development spree has been launched not only in the host city but also in the other points in the Delhi-Agra-Jaipur golden triangle.

Foreseeing a tourist boom that will, in turn, should trigger the development of the region, quite on the lines of Beijing, Barcelona and Melbourne, which changed beyond recognition after hosting the world sports events, the administrations of Agra, Mathura and Vrindavan have launched a drive to spruce up the city and showcase their rich cultural heritage by effectively gift-wrapping the tourist sector, be it historical tourism, or a spiritual journey to Mathura, during the Commonwealth Games.

Two sectors, hospitality and handicrafts, expect to see a turnaround during the period.

Looking at the prospects of the region, the UP government has started upgrading the infrastructure at all the major tourist destinations. “The Commonwealth Games are a golden opportunity for the tourism sector in the state. Out of the estimated 3.5 million foreign tourists expected during the Games, a large number are expected to visit some of the major tourist destinations in UP as well, especially the Taj Mahal and the holy twin
cities of Mathura and Vrindavan.

To facilitate their visit and stay, the state government is working on a war footing to get the infrastructure development and beautification work in Agra and Mathura districts completed by the end of July,� said a senior state government official.

According to Avinash Mishra, deputy director, UP Tourism, Agra will be a top priority in the list of visitors and hence several projects worth Rs 50 crore are being executed in and around Agra.

But sceptics think otherwise. The long-pending demand of the hospitality and handicrafts sectors that the city be given an international airport and an international sports stadium to boost its economy have fallen into deaf ears. People of the city argue that the airport would not only facilitate foreign tourists but would also become a source of higher income for the revenue-generating handicrafts industry in the city.

Absence of a proper domestic and international airport has become a major reason why there has been a sudden drop in the rate of tourist inflow in the last two years.

“For a visit to the Taj Mahal, domestic tourists usually come by road from Delhi while the foreign tourists come either from Delhi or Jaipur by road. Either way, they have to spend three to four hours to reach the Taj. And since the civic amenities in the city are bad, they refuse to stay overnight, which actually converts into a major revenue loss for us as they don’t spend much in Agra,� says Ashok Jain, a leading hotelier in the city.

Tourism and handicrafts, including leather goods, are the only two industries that thrive in Agra today. The city has a bright future but due to the political tussle and shortsightedness of both the central and state governments, it is languishing. There is no tourist-friendly culture developed here, citizens point out.
Compare it with Rajasthan. The state has been successful in becoming the most favoured tourist destination in the country, beating even Kerala. Sand has literally turned into gold – footfall wise.

UP has three World Heritage sites and yet is not able to cash on it. “It’s a curse to be a part of Uttar Pradesh,� complains Abhinav Jain, who owns an art emporium at the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal. “We are planning to get Agra the status of a heritage city and bring it under the purview of UNESCO. Only when neither the state nor the central government has anything to do with the city, will it see any development,� he believes.

Tahir Bhai, who owns a travel agency in Agra corroborates the view. “Most foreign as well as domestic tourists have started avoiding a trip to Agra due to the wrong policies of the government. No development has taken place in the city for decades now and what we have is a decadent city,� he laments. Apart from MG Road and Yamuna Kinara roads, which are the city’s heart-lines, there are no flyovers in the city. One has to wade through hours of traffic snarls to reach their destinations.

There is a lot of resentment among foreign visitors too due to the inappropriate gap in the entry tickets to view the Taj. While foreigners have to pay Rs 750, visitors from SAARC countries pay Rs 500 and domestic tourists pay Rs 20 only. “The heavy mismatch has started taking a toll as many foreigners come and look at the Taj from afar and leave,� adds Tahir Bhai.

“We have to pay a very high price to view the Taj Mahal. And the city is also unplanned and dirty and the stench of the rotting garbage all over the city is very repulsive. The anti-social behaviour of the hawkers and touts is irritating and we think we are being cheated.

Also, we think that this building deserves to be taken care of since it could single handedly support the economy in Agra,� say Matthew and friend Nicole, who had come from Canada.

What remains to be seen is whether Agra can convert the world sports event to become a better place to visit or whether all the hullabaloo is a mere eyewash. “Agra is more than just a decadent city of graveyards and stones. This forthcoming event will be a litmus test for the teeming tourists who will visit the city and we have to undo the bad image that tourists carry with themselves if things are to change for this historic city,� says Taufeeq Ahmed, a guide for whom Taj is more than a mere money-spinner.