Tourism is an important sector in India, fostering sustainable and inclusive development in the field of employment, economy, and overall growth of the country. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the sector witnessed a halt, which is slowly starting to pick up pace as the situation betters and movement restrictions ease.
In line with this, Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla called for definite plans for the revival of the tourism sector. Speaking at the event “Tourism for Inclusive Growth”, the Lok Sabha speaker said that post-Covid, the tourism sector is reviving in India at a faster pace.
Adding further, he mentioned that committed and collective efforts will ensure that India will emerge as the best tourist destination in the world.
Plans for revival:
Sustained efforts have to be made to boost the tourism sector post-covid. The sector can quickly revive by meeting the demand of tourism, especially domestic tourism. In this direction, the Ministry of Tourism has been holding regular talks with states, and tourism industry stakeholders to work out solutions to revive and support tourism. Vaccination, information technology, and rural tourism are also among Government’s revival strategies for the sector.
Vaccination is the key:
According to Union Minister for Tourism, G Kishan Reddy, vaccination is a big confidence booster to the Tourism Industry. As more and more people get vaccinated, the country can be open to tourism as early as the new year.
The Tourism Minister said, “As on date, India has already administered over 85 crores vaccine doses to its citizens. With the ongoing aggressive vaccination strategy, we are now a step closer to the reopening of the country to tourism in the beginning of the new year.” Boosting rural tourism:
Speaking on the roadmap for boosting tourism, Om Birla suggested that ambitious and sustained efforts are needed to promote rural tourism. Boosting rural tourism will strengthen the rural economy by creating demands for handicrafts and other rural products.
Tapping Information Technology:
The ministry has planned a detailed strategy to utilize technology to the fullest extent to overcome the setback created by the pandemic. Further, the Lok Sabha Speaker also said that information technology should be proactively used to promote tourism at domestic and international levels.
The launch of NIDHI 2.0 (National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry) would also facilitate the digitalization of the tourism sector. The portal registers accommodation units in the country and as of date, 44,024 units have been registered on the portal. Furthermore, it would also promote ease of doing business for the hospitality and tourism sector. This upgraded initiative will be more inclusive, i.e, for not only accommodation units, but also for travel agents, tour operators, and more.
Existing tourism initiatives
The government has taken various measures for the industry’s revival and recovery, including five lakh free visa’s for foreign tourists. The Ministry of Tourism is also planning to launch an initiative to invite tourists from all over the world to visit India and be part of India @75 celebrations.
In addition to this, initiatives like the Swadesh Darshan scheme, PRASHAD scheme, and Atulya Bharat Abhiyan have been bettering the experience of tourists. For example, under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, the Ministry of Tourism is developing critical tourism infrastructure in the country sustainably and inclusively to make India a world-class tourist destination. The focus is to develop public facilities like last-mile connectivity, tourist reception centers, wayside amenities, solid waste management, illumination, landscaping, parking, etc.
Tourism potential in India
India has a rich tradition and cultural diversity. Equipped with a plethora of UNESCO World Heritage inscriptions, iconic destinations from Somnath in the Western shores of India to Kaziranga in the eastern part, 10 eco-friendly blue flag beaches, widespread natural beauty, and wildlife sanctuaries, innumerable intangible cultural heritage in the form of festivals, and performing arts. All of these open the country’s potential for tourism development.
Also, tourist destinations that are still secrets have vast potential to be explored and make it to the tourism map of India. There is tremendous potential in India in the fields of environment, spirituality, education, and medical tourism.
Further, the Ministry is also collaborating to enhance tourism opportunities. The Ministry of Tourism, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and The Responsible Tourism Society of India (RTSOI) has also signed an MoU to actively promote and support sustainability initiatives in the tourism sector.
Adopting responsible tourism practices would also lead to upliftment and involvement of the local community with the hospitality industry and government departments, leading to empowerment and development of the people in the area while sustaining eco-friendly tourism.
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