Koppal rape-murder: Holi tourism crumbles near Hampi as foreign tourists flee

KOPPAL: Sanapur, a popular tourist destination in Gangavathi taluk known for its vibrant Holi celebrations with foreign tourists, wore a deserted look this week.

After two women - an Israeli tourist and an Indian homestay owner - were gang-raped and a man was murdered on March 6, hundreds of foreign tourists have left Sanapur village and nearby Hampi, a Unesco world heritage site. Many of them declined to comment, but some expressed concern about safety in the area.

Across river Tungabhadra, about 300 illegal accommodations exist within a 10-km distance at Basapur, Sanapur, Virupapuragadde, Anegundi and Hanumanahalli. Foreign tourists who explore historical sites such as Hampi, Kamalapur, Anegundi, Pampa Lake and Anjanadri Hill usually come together on the banks of Sanapur lake during Holi.

Although tourists initially planned to stay until the festival (on March 14), they have now opted to move to other 'safer' destinations, such as Pushkar in Rajasthan, where the festival of colours is celebrated with equal fervour as in Sanapur. Some have moved to Hosapete and Bengaluru.

Decked-up hotels, resorts and homestays wore a deserted look in Gangavathi taluk, in a stark contrast to last year during the festival of colours. "More than 400 tourists, both domestic and international, have cancelled their pre-bookings at resorts and homestays in Sanapur, Hanumanahalli and Anegondi, where they intended to celebrate Holi," said Ravichandran, a resort owner in Sanapur.

"Every year, the arrival of Holi festival is a busy time for us in terms of business. This time, due to the rape and murder case, no tourists are coming. At least 70% of people have cancelled their pre-bookings," said Sunil Babu, owner of a resort in Sanapur.

The strict regulations implemented by police for resorts and homestays after the case also resulted in a dampened Holi, according to owners of accommodation units.

According to Koppal SP Ram L Arasiddi, the lack of registration for certain accommodations means that they operate without necessary checks from police, local govt or tourism departments, leading to potential security issues. Police have now asked unregistered accommodations to cease operations.