Improve the image of Tourism through meaningful Governance.

  The Need to Improve the image of Tourism through Effective Governance is paramount.  

I would just like to narrate below my recent unpleasant and unforgettable experience at Salem and the avoidable irritations and problems that I had undergone due to the lackadaisical approach and indifferent attitude of the service providers in booking the hotel online. The callous attitude  and insensitive response to the Customer’s woes after taking the full money only smacks of total disregard for customers,  disrespect for the authorities and lack of  awareness of the importance, the  need and the  development of our Tourism Industry. Sorry to observe that Greed unfortunately blinds the Wisdom is what I experienced. Given a chance, Cheat seems to be a business model as per my personal experience.

Invasion of digital payments and  online transactions have become very handy for unscrupulous, dishonest businessmen and fraudsters. Myself and my wife recently attended a marriage at Salem and our sojourn in Salem assisted by GOIBIBO (for our stay) claiming to be serving 5 Million Customers turned out to be an adventure and Life Experience Par- excellence perhaps of learning a lesson of modern day dependence on Technology and how people can be taken for an easy ride to make easy money without understanding the value of money, the emotional, sentimental, psychological, physical ,mental, financial  agony the aged people undergo in the process unnoticed by the authorities. Luckily we didn't suffer severely except for the loss of a few Rupees and physical and mental strain in a new place and surroundings for some few hours. No learning is possible without suffering physically, financially and mentally.

I booked through online a room offered by GOIBIBO in WINDSOR Apartments, Iyyan Thirumalligai , Salem Municipal town DOOR NO ¼, paying the full amount as an advance.for our one day stay commencing at 12 noon 7th September to 12 noon on 8th September 2024. Salem being an industrial and tourist attractive Center thanks to Yercaud and its natural surroundings,I found the rate in a service apartment is reasonable though comparatively high as subsequently experienced by me in Salem. However, the entire expectation of spending a night in the room offered turned out to be a total disappointment, nightmare and disaster when we saw the apartment in a dilapidated condition and the room in a very pathetic, unliveable and horrible state. Without having a second thought we canceled the accommodation on the spot and sent an email to GOIBIBO as advised by the receptionist in the Windsor Apartment with the assurance that I would be fully refunded. My worry at that moment was not the refund but to have our Lunch being aged and diabetic patients and finding alternate accommodation taking into consideration our health issues. Being strangers to the City and urgency to have lunch at that point of time around 12.45 PM.as we had exhausted ourselves travelling by car covering a distance of 200kms. The fact is that we missed taking a photograph of the room allotted to us in that melee.Unfortunately, the missing photograph of the room and the toilet which became the inevitable and essence of the issue for not considering the refund of our money by IBIBO was a surprise to us. May God save the noble minds with their greedy thoughts and avaricious actions. Does not matter as I can very well  understand the thoughts of petty minds. “Given a chance, Cheat”.Jane Do attitude of Customers Provides escape route as the remedial  and follow up measures are not worth the recovery of loss incurred. Never Had I been informed that the amount was not refundable.      

The concept of online booking is very good, innovative  and definitely convenient to save time, carry out the needed transactions and free from many of the known and unknown hassles, provided the culture of ethics, values, honesty and reliability are guaranteed by dependable practices and high levels of morality and integrity of the highest order are maintained at all levels of Execution and Administration. Herein lies the problem as this mode of carrying out the transactions has become a source of easy money and no traceability for further follow up and remedial action for want of any dependable and accountable administrative and other systems and procedures. Unfortunately this concept of online transaction seems to be an EASY source of FRAUD by smart operators, business establishments, involving banks and exploiting the people including intelligent, smart, literate , illiterate, gullible taking advantage of laxity in governance, corruption, ignorance and easy go culture in vogue knowingly or unknowingly developed with the invasion of liberalisation of rules under the guise of ease of doing business and lack of accountability seen anywhere and everywhere.The free and upper hand enjoyed by these types of business establishments can turn out to be a disaster and can definitely damage the reputation of authorities all around. Fraudsters adhere to a different KYC norms ( though not desirable ) which our own commercial establishments like banks, internet and mobile service providers fail to adhere although it is a strict requirement by rule.

 

 My objective of bringing a brief note is that such frauds and cheating of innocent, gullible public of all ages ignoring the impressions such perpetrators of frauds, tricksters, liars and cheats can create /  cause unpardonable  damage to the State’s and Nation’s  economy, image, very high culture, heritage, and civilisation and Law enforcing Authorities’ reputation, which by all means is avoidable and needs to be nipped in the bud itself however, or whatever  may be the might or powerful the people behind such business ventures. In the above referred case that I badly  experienced, I strongly feel that  the whole issue could have been  well avoided /handled better had the GOIBIBO taken  a little effort and care to ensure that only standardised and reputed service apartments and hotel come in their approved list and they are amenable to the norms and conditions well prescribed by the laws of the nation and the enforcement  authorities.The amount if at all refunded (though chances are very remote), would rather be spent in the upkeep of the room on my behalf or given for some charities.The most important aspect that I would like to highlight is that the technology commissioned by the GOIBIBO is customer friendly perhaps only to cheat or perpetrate fraud and the customer service support and seeking feedback and all is only an eyewash as the feedback sought by them will not reach them or is designed not to reach them as they know that the complaints are genuine and and their intentions / greed are met/is satisfied. This is my experience .My worldly knowledge /wisdom and understanding perhaps make me believe  that thieves, robbers, fraudsters outsmart others and authorities.as well. Survival for intelligent,  innocent, and ignorant people is becoming rather difficult.

I maintain a view that Tourists should carry some good image and impression of the state and places of their visits, the hospitality, the law and order situations, and a feeling of comfort, confidence, safety and well being and urge them to think of more of such visits often.       

I would like to emphasize here that the Success of businesses associated with the tourism Industry depends on their ability to make Travel And STAY more pleasant, Comfortable , memorable , highly reliable and trustworthy service. The authorities and all Service providers should feel proud of the facilities and hospitality they provide to tourists coming from India and abroad with lots of expectations from a fast developing nation. GOIBIBO definitely is a miserable failure by any standard and May God save them from disaster.  One can only feel ashamed the way they have modelled their business from my personal experience.    

Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavanthu.

May God BLESS  US All  ALWAYS  and  IN All WAYS.

T V G Krishnan,