Travel agents in the city say that business is on the decline. According to Hiren Parekh, territory sales manager of Thomas Cook India Ltd, the drop is roughly around 20-30 per cent. Figures available at the Government of India Tourism Office -- till September 1998 -- show that the number of foreign tourists decreased by 10,000 this year.

The reasons aren't hard to find. Security concerns, poor marketing strategies and even the South East Asian currency crisis have all played a role in making foreign tourists drop Mumbai from their itinerary.

As Vijay Chavan, senior commercial manager with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), puts it: ``The tourism business is on the decline throughout the country. In Mumbai, the shootouts occurring nearly everyday onlyadd to a bad image.''

Compounding the trouble is the fact that the government's marketing strategy is not up to the mark. A leading travel agent said: ``Foreigners still get a culture shock when they come here. They don't even expect high-rises,'' he says. However, Government of India Tourism Office Regional Director Ram Chopra, does not agree. ``We are doing our best to showcase the city. So far, we have organised various entertainment activities at Gateway, Chowpatty...,'' he reads out his list.

His explanation is that the city has become much too expensive for tourists. ``Costs went up just after liberalisation, as trade also grew. But now, even though the traffic is less, the costs haven't come down proportionately,'' he says. His view is shared by Parekh. ``India is no longer an affordable destination,'' he stresses. This naturally reflects on Mumbai, which is a major entry point to the country.

Safety, or rather the lack of it, is not why tourists are shunning the city, according to Chopra. ``Thecrime rate is high everywhere..look at Chicago or New York,'' he adds. Besides, as tourists have not been targeted by anti-social elements, there is no cause for alarm, remarks Chopra. Travel officer at United States Information Services, M Janardhan, also seconds the view: ``The underworld has been active for the past two months, but we haven't issued any warning as tourists are not the targets.''

The public relations officer at Kesri Travels, however feels that a high crime rate makes people think twice before visiting a place. ``But usually they do come back some other time,'' she hastens to add.

Whatever the reasons, travel agents have little to cheer about. Bipin Vora, partner with Kshitij Tours and Travels, says that their clientele has dropped by almost 50 per cent. ``Earlier, we used to sell around 70 tickets for our Mumbai sight-seeing tours. Now we struggle to fill in even 40 seats,'' he says.