Foreign tourists still keen to visit Delhi despite rise in pollution

Even as air pollution levels in Delhi have risen sharply over the past few days, tourists who arrived at the IGI airport on Tuesday said that they were not deterred by it and did not change their travel plans though some of them stressed on early solution to the problem.

Speaking to ANI, Andrew, a resident of London, said the pollution situation in Delhi was one of the biggest stories that we have heard in London.

"However, I have been planning to visit Delhi for a long time as it is one of the best places to stay. I will wear a mask to combat pollution," he said.

For some tourists, Delhi is the most convenient arrival point to undertake tour of other parts of the country.

Kathryn, who also arrived from London, said she was very glad that the Delhi government has taken some initiatives to combat pollution. "I want to take a full tour of India, especially Rajasthan," she said.

Annie, another British citizen, said she was warned by her son's girlfriend about the situation in Delhi, but the situation was not as bad as she thought it would be.

Pradyuman Singh Rathore, a tour operator, said tourists are informed of the situation and also about the odd-even scheme implemented by the government.

"The air is generally clean in their home countries. So people who are allergic to dust, some of them usually cancel their trips. This time, however, I haven't seen a single cancellation of a planned visit to India," he added.

However, Emmanuel Wani, a resident of South Sudan expressed concern over levels of pollution and said the government should take steps so that the visitors do not face any health issues.

The overall AQI of Delhi was 381 on Tuesday, which falls in the 'very poor' category.