A world ranking of 53 and a 0.38% share of the world tourism market — that’s Incredible India. Delhi Timesexamines the ground reality on World Tourism Day
First, the feel-good news: India figures among the ‘Top 10 favourite destinations’ listed by Conde Nast Traveller; is among the ‘top five destinations’ for individual travellers among 134 countries according to Lonely Planet; and finds mention in a list of ‘101 best hotels in the world. Now,the home truth:with a share of just 0.38% of the world tourism market,India is ranked 53 globally. Simply put, India’s share of the world tourism pie is negligible. Despite a concerted campaign to attract foreigners to India, there were more Indians (4 million) travelling abroad in 2003 than tourist arrivals in India (2.78 million). Compare these figures with the world leader France, which had 80 million tourist arrivals last year, and China, which had 30 million tourist arrivals, and we know where we actually stand.
If India spent around Rs 50 crore on the Incredible India campaign last year, the budgetary allocation has gone up to Rs 90 crore this year. Are we getting value for money inbound tourismwise?
‘‘Aggressive tourism campaigns,including the Incredible India campaign, are new developments and need time to show results,’’ says Union tourism minister Renuka Choudhury, ‘‘If more Indian tourists are going abroad than the other way round, it’s because domestic airfare is costly. For instance, it’s cheaper to go to abroad than to Thriruvanthapuram. Now, with a change in the aviation policy, cheaper airfare will boost tourism.In fact,compared to 2003, we’ve had more tourists coming to India this year.’’
Choudhury had just returned from Paris and Milan, where she conducted ‘roadshows’to attract tourists to India. Next up are London and Madrid. ‘‘Unless we showcase ourselves abroad, how can we expect more tourists?’’ she reasons. Tourism secretary Uma Pillai was in Bangkok recently to attend a tourism meet and hardsell Destination India. This year’s calendar has more foreign trips planned for senior officials of the tourism ministry. The purpose: to woo tourists to India.
Amitabh Kant, joint secretary, tourism, says the challenge is to convert India into a year-end destination. ‘‘If Dubai can sell its desert at the peak of summer, why can’t India sell adventure, spirituality and river rafting in summer? The Indian summer can be a great product.’’ OP Mendiratta of the Hotel Industry Association maintains that officialdom needs to relax the existing policy and allow more luxury hotels to come up in the Capital. ‘‘As of now, Delhi has 4,299 hotel rooms whereas there is a demand for 5,000-plus rooms during the peak season. A multiplicity of authority plus prohibitive land prices are keeping investors away. Unless we have a single-window system for tourism-related matters,development of infrastructure for tourists will always be restricted.’’According to Subhas Goyal, president, IATO, ‘‘More jobs will be created when our tourism industry receives a boost. But for this to happen, the government has to adopt a practical approach towards tourism in India.’’
India’s global position based on tourist arrivals: 53 India’s share of world tourism market: 0.38 % Tourist arrivals in India in 2003: 2.78 million (France: 80 million, China: 34 million) India’s forex earnings from tourism in 2003: $3.04 billion Total hotel rooms in India: 85,481 (30,000 more wanted) Total hotel rooms in Delhi: 4,299 (1,000 more wanted)
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