India, Jan. 10 -- It is no secret that the ongoing social unrest in the country, fuelled by student protests over controversial identity and citizenship laws, and the resultant security lockdowns, have affected the tourism business badly. Travel operators admit an 18 per cent fall in tourist traffic in the busiest holiday season over the New Year weekend.

The mood at the 27th edition of the South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE), a B2B travel trade engagement show, therefore, wasn't quite upbeat. So how do political upheavals impact the travel and tourism in the country? Says Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director for Informa Markets, "Nobody wants this kind of uncertainty and violence. People wish to travel in peace and with convenien...