Terrorist Attacks Over in Mumbai

According to media reports, the siege in Mumbai is finally over. Almost 48 hours after the attacks started, the remaining terrorists were finally eliminated from the Oberoi hotel and Nariman House, and hostages freed last night. Sadly though, the death toll has risen to almost 200 people.

It's been confirmed that the terrorists came from outside India. The attacks are suspected to be the joint work of the Al Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Tayyeba groups because of their significant non-Indian focus.

While the terrorist attacks are over, it's only now that the real impact will start being felt. The mood in Mumbai is understandably very glum as people are coming to terms with what has happened and their losses. It will take quite a long time for the two hotels to start functioning as normal, and it's likely that guests will in future favor smaller nondescript hotels which are unlikely to be targets. Tourism to India is also expected to fall by as much as 20% following the attacks, as people feel insecure about traveling.

Currently, many flights into and out of Mumbai are still being canceled due to the number of empty seats. Those who do travel in India can expect strict security procedures at airports, including having their bodies frisked and baggage manually searched.

Unfortunately, this situation couldn't have come at a worse time as there's already been a 20-30% drop in tourism to India, as a result of the world financial crisis.