Experts hope tourist inflow will boost aviation industry

Aurangabad, Dec 9: City tourism experts hope re-opening of heritage sites in the district will boost the aviation sector, which is reeling from the effects of the coronavirus and associated travel restrictions.

With historical monuments still closed in the district, only industrialists, political leaders and businessmen are travelling by air. As heritage sites are re-opening on Thursday, tourists will also start air travel.

Presently, Air India and IndiGo are operating flights to Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. The flight to Bengaluru is also going to start on December 16. With pilgrimage centres already opened, the city will witness hordes of tourists during Christmas vacations and New Year celebration.

President of Aurangabad Tourism Development Forum (ATDF) Jaswant Singh said, "Arrival of tourists will recharge both the tourism industry and the aviation sector. We are expecting tourists from Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru."

Industrialist Suneet Kothari added, "An appropriate marketing strategy will have to be adopted to attract tourists through informing them about re-opening of the heritage monuments. Meanwhile, persuasion is on to operate Mumbai flight daily."