Delhi tourism takes monumental hit after cash crunch, ASI says footfall down by 50-60%

Can you imagine exploring Delhi’s monuments during the harsh summer months? The thought itself is scary. That’s why tourists and locals wait till the winter months to visit historical places, participate in heritage walks and go out for picnics. However, this winter, because of demonetisation, footfall at monuments has reduced significantly.
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials say that even though the months between November and February are when the maximum number of people visit the city’s monuments, this winter, the numbers have dipped by 50-60% at all historical sites – this applies to both foreigners, tourists and locals.Apart from Christmas and New Year, when we noticed large crowds at monuments, Delhi’s numerous historical sites have been quite deserted.
Humayun’s Tomb is usually bustling with people, but the number has dipped significantly, say officials from the ASI (BCCL)
Foreigners look for jugaad
Most tourists are going to places where they can swipe their cards, but are being forced to skip places on their must-visit lists. However, those who don’t want to leave the city without visiting monuments are finding ways to make it work – by hiring guides, exchanging money or just taking pictures of the monuments from the outside.
Harris, from the US, says that he was forced to depend on guides. "I didn’t have any cash on me to buy tickets to see the monuments, and I was trying to figure out what to do. A guide approached me and said that he would buy my ticket and that I could pay him later. I had a guidebook and had no plans of hiring a guide initially, but I had no option but to agree."
Austrian tourist, Jason, says, "Last month, I wanted to visit all the monuments in the city but didn’t have any money on me. I knew about the currency issue, but I had been in Delhi for quite some time, and I had a few notes that I wanted to exchange. I met a man in Chandni Chowk who said that for every Rs 100, he’d get me Rs 60 in exchange. I didn’t argue much because I wanted to see the monuments."
Post demonetisation, the Red Fort, among other historical sites, is seeing a dip in footfall (BCCL)
Tourists gave away, tore old notes: Guides
Tourist guides say that right after the demonetisation move, visiting monuments was traumatic for tourists. Banti, a guide at Humayun’s Tomb, says, "I remember seeing a tourist, who spoke French, go to the ticket counter at Humayun’s Tomb. When he was told that his old notes were of no use, he gave those notes to a poor boy and left.” Many others threw their old notes, tore them and left. Another guide, Sriram Srivastava, says, “A couple gave me two Rs 1,000 notes just to take them around Qutub Minar. I tried to explain to them that it’s a lot more than what I charge, but they said that I could go to a bank and exchange the notes, unlike them."
Pics a must, even if from outside
However, not all tourists can afford to throw, rip apart or just give away cash. Young backpackers, who are here on a shoestring budget, don’t have the luxury of spending too much during their trip. Abhilash, a guide outside Red Fort, says, "For me, business boomed initially, as several foreigners were stranded here with old notes and so they would end up paying us more. But now, footfall has gone down drastically. Backpackers visit the monuments, take photos from outside, and leave." Tourists at different monuments taking selfies said that they didn’t want to leave without taking some photos, even if from the outside.
With little or no cash to spare after demonetisation, ticket counters at historical sites remain unoccupied
Kahan hain log?
Right after the demonetisation move was announced, the ASI had agreed to accept Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes at ticket counters to help visitors. For the next two days, there was a surge in footfall, but after they stopped accepting old notes, ticket sales went back to normal and then dropped. However, officials say that they are trying their best to deal with the situation. An ASI official tells us, "From November to February, you can find foreign tourists and locals visiting monuments. Par bheed kahan hain? We were hoping that in 10-20 days, the footfall would go back to normal, but it may take some more time."