Bereits am 02.11. hatte ich im Post "Ihre Dollars können Sie behalten" ein Beispiel für die Ablehnung des Dollars als Zahlungsmittel außerhalb der USA eingestellt. Dieser Artikel war ursprünglich auf den Seiten von welt.de erschienen - verschwand allerdings Tage später "spurlos".
Nun gibt es wiederum einen Artikel zu diesem Thema - diesmal allerdings auf den Seiten von der "Times of India". Kurzzusammenfassung: war es früher kein Problem, als Indien-Tourist die Eintrittskarten für Sehenswürdigkeiten in Dollar zu bezahlen, ist dies nach einer Order von Minister Ambika Soni ab sofort nicht mehr möglich - stattdessen kann nur noch in der lokalen Währung bezahlt werden!
Hier der komplette Artikel:
Dollar falling, foreign tourists to pay in rupees
16 Nov 2007, 0129 hrs IST,Ashish Sinha,TNN
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NEW DELHI: The forget-dollar fever to hail the rising rupee has gripped the tourism and culture ministry. On a directive from Minister Ambika Soni, the mandarins issued orders on Thursday that foreign tourists visiting ticketed monuments and heritage sites in India would not pay in the US currency any more.
Only rupee is welcome at the ticket counters now and, what is even smarter is that the notified rates take into account the good old American days when a dollar exchanged for Rs 50. The going rate now is just about Rs 39.25. And, Indian visitors, who pay a much nominal rate, are not hit.
Entry fee to World Heritage Sites for foreigners was pegged at $5 per person while they had to pay $2 for entering a protected monument. All such sites are maintained and conserved by the Archaeological Survey of India. After the new orders, the rates have been fixed at Rs 250 and Rs 100 per head respectively.
"These rates have been fixed in line with international practices. It will avoid any anomaly on account of falling USD-INR exchange rate. The fall in revenue to ASI will also be checked," a ministry official said.
India has 27 World Heritage properties, including 22 cultural properties and five natural properties. Of these, 18 are protected and ticketed by ASI.
Delhi's Red Fort is the latest addition to the list, which includes Taj Mahal, Ajanta-Ellora caves, Khajuraho, Old Goa churches, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mahabodhi Temple and Qutub Minar.
To be declared a world heritage site, the location has to undergo an elaborate process of certification by UNESCO and other international bodies.
Although India has as many as 3,667 historical monuments, the number of those protected and ticketed by ASI is 116. "The ministry decided to act fast so that revenue receipts are not hit.
We are now sure that the rising graph of total collections will not be affected," the official said. The speed was evident because ASI officials had no clue of the decision on Thursday evening. "We have not received any such communication so far," a senior ASI official told TOI .
Total revenue from ticketed monuments in 2006-07 was Rs 60.84 crore, up from Rs 53.91 crore in 2005-06 and Rs 52.9 crore in 2004-05. Although the ministry did not have the total value of receipts from foreigners, sources said it would be "substantial", considering that the ticket rate was much higher than for Indians.
