Tourism plans for Andamans go on, tsunami notwithstanding
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are still seen as tourist havens, even after being ravaged by the tsunami in December 2004. The tourism policy of Andaman and Nicobar Island 2003 listed its objectives as large-scale, resource-intensive tourism, opening more islands for tourism, attracting private investment for high-end eco-tourist resorts and obtaining relaxation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (crz) rules. The model is still followed, with minor modifications, after the December 2004 disaster.
The question, however, is: can islands like the Andamans, vulnerable to tsunamis and other natural disasters, depend exclusively on tourism? In 1996, the Commission on Sustainable Development warned small island states in the Caribbean and Pacific about the perils of over-reliance on tourism. Their warnings ring true for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as well.
But the island's administration continues to milk dry the tourism cow.Of course, post-tsunami there were neither tour operators nor tourists. Souvenir, handicraft and small hotel businesses