Bangladesh replaces US on tourist inflow

[schoolboy]

err.... yes.

As a south Indian, with a south Indian wife and living in south India, I do not think I need "gyan" from you about how many south Indian people speak and understand Hindi.

Almost all south Indians are Bilingual, Many are tri lingual and the population that do no understand hindi is very low. Even in TN people tend to understand Hindi, they just do not like to acknowledge it due to language chauvinism.

Its similar to France, where people might understand english, but pretend not to understand english. I have always found it easier to ask them directions in Hindi. That way they go out of the way to help you. Asking them in english only makes them snub you.

Please read my post again before getting your knickers in a twist.

I made the point that hindi knowledge is south india is not through school curriculum. Except CBSE and ICSE schools - which no doubt middle class folks like you would have attended - state board students will not have to learn hindi, and many complete their entire primary education in the local language. This latter group derive their undrstanding from TV, interaction with others.

It's foolish to make a claim that most people who go to school learn hindi from school when what you mean is a tiny fraction of schools. Go to a primary government school in Bellary and see how much hindi they learn there

 

[YogaMudra]

Please read my post again before getting your knickers in a twist.

I made the point that hindi knowledge is south india is not through school curriculum. Except CBSE and ICSE schools - which no doubt middle class folks like you would have attended - state board students will not have to learn hindi, and many complete their entire primary education in the local language. This latter group derive their undrstanding from TV, interaction with others.

It's foolish to make a claim that most people who go to school learn hindi from school when what you mean is a tiny fraction of schools. Go to a primary government school in Bellary and see how much hindi they learn there

You are talking from a narrow perspective, hardly anyone watches Hindi movies or channels in south India.

Nor do they speak with somebody from north for most of their lives. Most get along by speaking their state language.

Their knowledge of Hindi comes from what they have learnt in school and then correlating it to the few occasions where they get to use it or hear it.

BTW state board students also have to learn hindi either as their second language or their third language.

 

[schoolboy]

You are talking from a narrow perspective, hardly anyone watches Hindi movies or channels in south India.

Nor do they speak with somebody from north for most of their lives. Most get along by speaking their state language.

Their knowledge of Hindi comes from what they have learnt in school and then correlating it to the few occasions where they get to use it or hear it.

BTW state board students also have to learn hindi either as their second language or their third language.

Government schools (all affiliated to state boards) would have the local language and English as first / second languages. Hindi is a third language option - along with many other subjects and while I do not the preferences of students now, it was never a popular subject - and in most cases was neglected - whether purposely or by accident. When we used to live in Madras in the early to mid 90s, the kids of our household staff preferred French as a third language. I personally had to learn Tamil for 4 years as a third language (in a CBSE school) but because it was not spoken at home (and because my school was English-medium) never picked up the language. Tamil or Kannadiga kids who don not speak the language at home would not acquire any useful working knowledge - it would simply be a painful annoyance to crawl through - assuming they even opted for it. On returning to rural Karnataka in the late 2000s to do some research on mining I found a complete lack of knowledge of hindi in the villages and small towns.

Short point: My belief is that whatever hindi skills are picked up is simply on account of soft power and overwhelming presence cultural domination of hindi-songs, catch-tunes, marketing slogans, films - as well as interaction with migrants who come to work in the south from the northern states. And while it may become more universally understood in future there is no justification for saying hindi is well understood in south india as a rule (unless your definition of south india is state capitals and large cities) or imparted in schools (unless you refer to CBSE / ICSE schools which a minority)

We can agree to disagree.

As far as I know, Singapore is the only country that Sri lanka extends visa on arrival too.

It was extended to a lot more previously, but after the ministry of defence complained that they don't have enough time to conduct their security assessment, it was stopped entirely and changed to an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), I think this is issued in less than 48 hours after you apply for it. It's a simple online process, you give them your passport details and some other background information, and they email you the ETA.

Yes, I was referring to the ETA - which by the way seems to be available on arrival as well (though it costs $5 more). Anyway the ETA route is the way to go; my SL ETA was effortlessly processed and I'm given to understand that the e-tourist visa started by the Indian government in 2014 for about 150 countries (also an ETA though it takes 2-3 days instead of 5 minutes) is also a big success. There's really no justification for having to physically go to an embassy unless it's for an interview.

 

[wiseone2]

A new pecking order has emerged for foreign tourist arrivals in India. The US, the traditional top source for arrivals, has lost the spot it held for years to Bangladesh. India’s neighbour has for the first time become the biggest source market for foreign tourists coming to the country.


Data from ministry of tourism showed 1.37 million visitors came to India from Bangladesh in 2016, up 21 per cent over the number in 2015. The 21 per cent growth was much higher than the increase of 8.2 and 10.4 per cent seen in arrivals from the US and UK, respectively. The UK is the third-largest source market for foreign tourists.


The rise of Bangladesh in the Indian travel market has been quite rapid. From a mere 0.48 million visitors in 2012, the number has now grown almost threefold. Bangladesh now accounts for 15.47 per cent of the total 8.89 million foreign tourists who visited India in 2016. The US and UK accounted for 14.74 and 9.51 per cent, respectively. Quality medical and health-care facilities in India is one of the reasons for the growing number of tourists from Bangladesh. Trade and business are another factor. Government data show that of the 134,344 medical visas issued by India in 2015, half went to citizens from Bangladesh. The number of medical visas increased to almost 97,000 during the first half of 2016.


An earlier report by KPMG said the highest number of medical tourists in India come from Bangladesh (more than a fifth) because of the lack of “quality health-care infrastructure and unavailability of skilled manpower" in the neighbouring country.


Foreign tourists (all nationalities) are estimated to have brought foreign exchange earnings of $23 billion in 2016, 9.8 per cent higher than in 2015.


India dominates bilateral trade of $6.76 billion, but imports from Bangladesh are rising. Even though bilateral trade slipped more than four per cent to $6.76 billion in 2015-16, imports from Bangladesh to India grew 17 per cent to $727 million.


Apparel, textile fibre, fruit and fish are top import items from the neighbouring nation.


A large number of visitors from Bangladesh come to India by the bus that connects Dhaka to Kolkata. Therefore, Haridaspur, a check-post in West Bengal, ranked third or fourth among top ports of entry into India for most months in 2016.



http://www.business-standard.com/ar...aces-us-on-tourist-inflow-117020700043_1.html

welcome to bangladeshis
they cannot replace American tourists in $$$