Thursday, January 03, 2008

You Know Our Economy Is Bad When...

You don't have to go to Paris or London to know that the U.S. dollar is plunging in value, now you can even go to India to experience it. Tourism Minister Ambika Soni announced that they will no longer be giving tourists a deal of 250 rupees for $50 bucks. The problem of course is in the value of our dollar, which has dropped precipitously over on the Indian sub-continent.

From RawStory:

In a sign of how the once mighty U.S. dollar has fallen, India's tourism minister said Thursday that U.S. dollars will no longer be accepted at the country's heritage tourist sites, like the famed Taj Mahal.

For years the dollar was worth about 50 rupees and tourists visiting most sites in India were charged either $5 or 250 rupees.

But with the dollar at a nine-year low against the rupee — falling 11 percent in 2007 alone and now hovering at around 39 rupees — that deal has become a losing proposition for the tourism industry.


International tourists looking for good deals for their dollar are finding that opportunities are drying up quickly. When I was in Europe this past summer I looked in the stores over there and gasped at the fact that while the numbers on the tags were the same, factoring in the exchange rate blew my mind. Seeing is believing, and if you are so lucky as to go see the Taj Mahal, just remember to get your rupees ready.