Tourism Sector

Tourism Sector

Geo-Heritage Sites in India

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Geo-Heritage Sites in India

Mains level: NA

Why in the news

  • Pandavula Gutta, an ancient geological marvel predating the Himalayan hills, has been officially designated as Telangana’s sole Geo-heritage site.
  • Also the 165 million-year-old meteor Ramgarh Crater in Rajasthan was declared geo-heritage site.

[A] Pandavula Gutta

  • Pandavula Gutta is located in Jayashankar Bhupalpally District in Telangana.
  • It is known for its rock art and geological heritage.
  • The site features Paleolithic cave paintings depicting wildlife and symbols.
  • Discovered in 1990, it showcases habitation from the mesolithic to medieval times.
  • Recognized as the sole Geo-heritage site in Telangana, older than the Himalayan hills.

 

[B] Ramgarh Crater

  • The Ramgarh Crater, also known as Ramgarh structure, Ramgarh Dome, and Ramgarh astrobleme, is a meteor impact crater located near the town of Ramgarh in Baran district of Rajasthan.
  • It is established as an asteroid impact crater in India, excavated within sandstone, shale, and limestone horizons of the Lower Bhander Group of the Vindhyan Region.
  • It was formed by a meteorite impact, with a diameter of 3.2 kilometers and an elevation of over 200 meters above the surrounding terrain.
  • It is declared Conservation Reserve, namely Ramgarh Conservation Reserve, under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and a notified wetland under Wetland (Conservation & Management) Rules, 2017.

 

What are Geo-Heritage Sites?

  • Geo-Heritage Sites in India are geological features of significant importance, either culturally or inherently, that provide insights into the Earth’s evolution or serve educational purposes.
  • These sites are recognized and protected by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the respective State governments.
  • India presently has 34 National Geological Heritage Monument Sites.
  • Examples:
    1. Mawmluh Cave in Meghalaya
    2. Majuli Island in Assam
    3. Chabimura in Tripura
  • Purpose:
    1. Promote geotourism
    2. Preserve unique geological formations
    3. Enhance geological literacy among the public

 

Tap this link to read more about all Geo-Heritage Parks in India:

https://vikaspedia.in/education/childrens-corner/geological-heritage-sites-of-india


PYQ:

Q.Which one of the following statements is correct?​ (2021)

  1. Ajanta Caves lie in the gorge of Waghora River.​
  2. Sanchi Stupa lies in the gorge of Chambal River.​
  3. Pandu-Lena Cave Shrines lie in the gorge of Narmada River.​
  4. Amaravati Stupa lies in the gorge of Godavari River.​

Practice MCQ:

Which of the given statements about the Ramgarh Structure is NOT correct?

  1. It is an asteroid impact crater.
  2. It is located in the Deccan Plateau.
  3. It is a notified wetland under Wetland (Conservation & Management) Rules, 2017.
  4. It is under Conservation Reserve under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

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Tourism Sector

Contrasting Tourist Destinations: Maldives vs. Lakshadweep

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Lakshadweep

Mains level: Tourism potential of Lakshadweep

Lakshadweep

Introduction

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent invitation for travelers to explore the beauty of Lakshadweep sparked a surprising backlash from Maldivian officials, leading to heated debates on social media.
  • This article delves into the distinctions between the Maldives and Lakshadweep as tourist destinations, comparing factors such as tourist numbers, infrastructure, and environmental concerns.

Maldives and Lakshadweep: A Geographical Overview

  • Maldives: An archipelago of 1,190 coral islands and sandbanks grouped into over 20 atolls, located southwest of Kerala and Sri Lanka in the North Central Indian Ocean.
  • Lakshadweep: Comprising 36 coral islands spread across a mere 32 sq km, it’s India’s smallest Union Territory. These islands lie north of the Maldives and are situated at varying distances of 220 km to 440 km from Kochi.

Tourism Statistics: A Stark Contrast

  • Lakshadweep: In 2018, only 10,435 domestic and 1,313 foreign tourists visited, a negligible share compared to other Indian tourist destinations.
  • Maldives: Data from January 2024 shows a daily average of nearly 6,000 tourist arrivals, totaling 1,01,626 arrivals. In 2023, over 1.87 million tourists visited, contributing significantly to the country’s economy.

Maldives’ Tourism Success Story

  • Investment in Tourism: The Maldives has been investing in tourism since 1972, with tourism becoming the country’s most vital economic activity by the 1980s.
  • Economic Contribution: Tourism directly contributes almost 30% of the Maldives’ GDP and generates over 60% of its foreign currency earnings.
  • Connectivity: The country is served by 40 carriers from around the world, including airlines like Air India, Vistara, and IndiGo.
  • Visa-Free Arrivals: The Maldives offers visa-free arrivals to major source markets like India, Russia, China, and Kazakhstan.
  • Diverse Accommodations: With over 180 resorts, 15 hotels, 811 guesthouses, and 140 safari vessels, the Maldives offers more than 62,000 beds to tourists.
  • Local Island Guesthouses: Starting in 2009, local island guesthouses allowed tourists to stay among the local population, providing privacy and luxury.

Lakshadweep’s Limited Potential and Environmental Concerns

  • Small Area: Lakshadweep, with only 10 inhabited islands, has limited potential due to its small size.
  • Environmental Concerns: Concerns over environmental damage and disruption of local livelihoods have hindered tourism development.
  • Capacity Constraints: Lakshadweep lacks the capacity and resources to host a large influx of tourists due to its fragile ecology.
  • Supreme Court Recommendations: A Supreme Court-appointed panel recommended that all development proposals align with an Integrated Island Management Plan and respect carrying capacity limits.
  • Restricted Entry: Entry to Lakshadweep is restricted, requiring permits issued by the Lakshadweep Administration.
  • Infrastructure Challenges: Limited air and ferry connectivity, as well as inadequate accommodations, pose challenges for tourism development.

Prospects for Lakshadweep’s Tourism

  • Positive Outlook: The recent interest from Prime Minister Modi has sparked optimism for Lakshadweep’s tourism potential.
  • Planned Developments: Applications for tourism development on islands like Bangaram, Thirunakkara, Suheli Cheriyakara, and Cheriyam are expected, potentially leading to significant projects.
  • High-end, Low-volume Tourism: Local authorities aim for high-end tourism with low visitor volumes to preserve the islands’ fragile environment.

Conclusion

  • The Maldives and Lakshadweep, though neighbouring archipelagos, exhibit stark differences in tourist numbers, development, and environmental concerns.
  • While the Maldives thrives as an international tourism hotspot, Lakshadweep faces limitations due to its ecological fragility, yet there is hope for responsible tourism development in the Union Territory.

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Tourism Sector

How Lakshadweep’s Unique Cultural Landscape developed?

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Lakshadweep

Mains level: Tourism potential of Lakshadweep

Lakshadweep

Introduction

  • PM’s recent trip to Lakshadweep has brought the islands into the national conversation.

About Lakshadweep

Details
Location In the Arabian Sea, off the southwestern coast of India.
Geographical Formation Formed by coral activities and have a coral atoll structure.
Formation as UT Formed as a Union Territory of India in 1956.
Total Islands Comprises 36 islands, including atolls, coral reefs, and submerged banks.
Inhibition 10 of the 36 islands are inhabited.
Capital Kavaratti is the capital of the Union Territory.
Area Total area of 32 sq km.

Cultural Uniqueness of Lakshadweep

  • Diverse Influences: The islands exhibit a unique blend of cultural influences from Malayalis, Arabs, Tamils, and Kannadigas.
  • Distinct Islamic Practice: The form of Islam practiced here is distinct from the rest of India, reflecting the islands’ diverse ethnic and linguistic heritage.

Historical Roots: A Pre-Islamic Hindu Society

  • Early Settlers: Scholar Andrew W Forbes suggests that the first settlers were likely Malabari sailors, possibly castaways.
  • Hindu Influence: Evidence points to a pre-Islamic Hindu society, with remnants like buried idols and traditional songs hinting at past Hindu practices.

Conversion to Islam: A Gradual Transition

  • Arab Influence: Regular contact with Arab merchants and sailors led to the gradual conversion of islanders to Islam, distinct from the Islamic practices in mainland India.
  • Peaceful Introduction of Islam: Historian Mahmood Kooria notes that Islam’s introduction in the region, including Lakshadweep, was marked by minimal political conflict, primarily through commercial interactions.

Cultural Development: Insulation from Mainland Influences

  • Control by the Arakkal Kingdom: In the 16th century, the islands fell under the Arakkal kingdom of Kannur, Kerala’s only Muslim dynasty.
  • European Interactions: Despite conflicts with European powers, the islands maintained a degree of protection and isolation.
  • British Era: The British rule further insulated Lakshadweep, allowing its culture to evolve distinctly from mainland India.
  • Linguistic Diversity: The islands’ isolation is reflected in their linguistic diversity, with Malayalam, Jazari, and Mahl being the main languages.

Matrilineal Society: A Unique Aspect of Lakshadweep’s Islam

  • Matriliny in Islamic Society: Lakshadweep’s Islamic society is characterized by matriliny, tracing descent and property through the mother’s line.
  • Anthropological Perspectives: Anthropologist Leela Dube highlights the compatibility of matriliny with Islam in Lakshadweep, contrary to conventional Islamic practices.
  • Kerala’s Influence: Historian Manu Pillai links the matrilineal tradition to Kerala’s cultural patterns, where Nairs and Namboodiris practised matriliny.
  • Broader Indian Ocean Context: Kooria points out that matriliny is common among Muslims in the Indian Ocean region, suggesting a broader cultural context.

Religious and Sociological Interpretations

  • Islamic Justification for Matriliny: Islanders believe their matrilineal practice aligns with Islam, citing Prophet Muhammad’s life with his first wife, Khadija.
  • Sociological Viewpoint: Dr. N P Hafiz Mohamad emphasizes that the islanders see matriliny as integral to their Islamic practice.

Conclusion

  • Preservation of Unique Traditions: Lakshadweep’s relative isolation has helped preserve its unique cultural and religious practices.
  • Integration of Diverse Influences: The islands represent a remarkable integration of various cultural and religious influences, forming a distinct identity within the Indian subcontinent.
  • Significance in Broader Indian Ocean Culture: Lakshadweep’s cultural practices, particularly its matrilineal society, highlight the interconnectedness and diversity of cultures across the Indian Ocean region.

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Tourism Sector

India secures 80th rank on Henley Passport Index

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Henley Passport Index

Mains level: Not Much

passport

Central Idea

  • India has seen an improvement in its ranking on the Henley Passport Index 2023, climbing seven places to the 80th position from 87 last year.
  • However, despite the rise in ranking, the number of countries allowing visa-free access to Indian passport holders remains the same.

What is Henley Passport Index?

  • The Henley Passport Index is a global ranking system that measures the strength and value of passports from different countries.
  • It is published by Henley & Partners, a global residence and citizenship advisory firm.
  • The index provides an annual ranking of passports based on the number of countries and territories their holders can travel to without requiring a visa or with visa-on-arrival access.

How is it derived?

  • It takes into account data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and other reliable sources.
  • The index includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations.
  • It assigns a “visa-free score” to each passport, which represents the number of destinations that can be visited without obtaining a visa in advance.
  • The higher the visa-free score, the stronger the passport.

India’s Passport Performance in 2023

  • India is ranked 80th in 2023.
  • In 2014, India ranked 76th with 52 countries granting visa-free access to Indian passport holders.
  • Since then, its ranking has fluctuated, with positions of 88th (2015), 85th (2016), 87th (2017), 81st (2018), 82nd (2019 and 2020), and 81st (2021).
  • In the Henley Openness Index, which measures the number of nations allowing visa-free access, India ranked 94th out of 97 countries for permitting visa-free access to only four nations.

Global scenario

  • Singapore Takes the Lead: Singapore has replaced Japan as the country with the most powerful passport, allowing its citizens visa-free access to 192 out of 227 travel destinations globally.
  • Other Top Countries: Germany, Italy, and Spain share the second position. The third position is shared by Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden.
  • Japan’s Position: Japan, previously holding the top position for five years, dropped to third place on the Henley Passport Index.
  • Pakistan: The country known for terrorism and the recent economic crisis has been ranked at 100 in the list. Citizens of Pakistan can travel to just 33 countries without applying for a visa.

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Tourism Sector

Titanic Submersible Expedition

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Titan Submersible

Mains level: Submersible Tourism

titanic

Central Idea: All five crew onboard the Titan submersible are dead after a catastrophic implosion.

What is Submersible?

  • Submersibles are vessels designed for underwater travel, often used for research, exploration, and tourism purposes.
  • They are white tubes of about 6.7 meters long and 2.8 meters wide, and have a top speed of three knots or 5.5 kilometers (3.5 miles) an hour.
  • In the context of tourism, submersibles provide passengers with the opportunity to experience the wonders of the underwater world and explore marine ecosystems.
  • Submersible tourism has gained popularity among adventurous travellers, offering unique opportunities to explore the underwater world.

Submersible Tourism and the Titanic Site 

  • The wreckage of the RMS Titanic, discovered in 1985, has been a popular destination for tourists over the years.
  • OceanGate Expeditions began offering Titanic expeditions, taking crews of “citizen scientists” and “crew members” to the site since 2010.

About Titan Submersible 

  • The Titan submersible was constructed using titanium and filament-wound carbon fiber.
  • With a length of 22 feet and a weight of 10,432 kg, it was capable of reaching depths of 4,000 meters (13,123 feet).

Functionality and Equipment

  • The submersible employed 4 electric thrusters for movement and maneuverability.
  • Equipped with an array of cameras, lights, and scanners, the Titan facilitated deep-sea exploration and surveying.
  • Communication in deep waters was achieved using sound waves (sonar) since radio waves do not transmit effectively.

Differentiating Submersibles and Submarines  

  • Submersibles, such as the Titan, are not fully autonomous and require support ships for launch and recovery.
  • They descend using weights and do not possess the power to launch independently.
  • Submarines, on the other hand, are self-propelled and capable of launching and returning without external support.

Depth and Cost

  • The maximum depth for the OceanGate Titanic expedition is around 12,800 feet, with the wreck located at 12,500 feet.
  • The cost of touring the Titanic varies, with the OceanGate expedition priced at $250,000 per person.

Safety Considerations in Submersible Tourism 

  • The submersible tourism industry adheres to international safety standards and has maintained a safety record without incident for 50 years, according to the Marine Technology Society (MTS).
  • Submersible tour companies conduct detailed risk assessments for each experience, ensuring clients are aware of the potential risks involved.
  • Clients often undergo risk assessments and sign waivers before embarking on submersible journeys.

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Tourism Sector

Boosting India’s Tourism Sector

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: NA

Mains level: Tourism Sector and Economic Growth

Tourism Sector

Central Idea

  • India’s travel and tourism sector is one of the fastest-emerging tourist destinations in the world, and it is poised to be the key axis of development in the coming years. Budget 2023, which marks the beginning of Amrit Kaal, the period of intense robust growth, has outlined the path to developing tourism in mission mode.

Vision to develop 50 destinations

  • G20 provided Economic Boost: India’s presidency of the G20 and Prime Minister’s vision to develop 50 tourist destinations across the country have provided a significant boost to the tourism sector.
  • Global ranking: This initiative is expected to improve India’s global ranking on the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index.
  • Employment opportunities: The development of these destinations will create more employment opportunities and contribute to the overall GDP growth of the country.

The central government’s push on tourism

  • Various policies and initiatives: The central government is committed to supporting the travel and tourism sector by implementing various policies and initiatives.
  • Six themes for the development in Union budget: The Union budget has identified six themes for the development of the sector, including convergence, public-private participation, creativity, innovation, digitization, and development of destinations.

Power of collaboration

  • Collaboration is essential: Collaboration between the government, private sector, and local communities is essential for the development and promotion of tourism in India. This collaborative approach stimulates creativity, enhances competitiveness, and achieves visionary results.
  • For example: The Prime Minister has cited examples of successful collaborations, such as Kashi, Kedarnath, the Statue of Unity, and Pavagadh, to demonstrate how a unified approach can boost tourism in a region.

Role of Technology in Tourism

  • Interdependence: Technology and tourism are becoming increasingly interdependent, and a coordinated approach that adopts technology can boost the tourism sector in India.
  • Employing Augmented and virtual reality: Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) can provide travellers with virtual tours and simulations of famous landmarks and cultural experiences.
  • Artificial intelligence: Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots and digital assistants can assist travellers in planning their trips and provide real-time assistance while travelling.

“6P” approach to unlocking India’s tourism potential

  • 6P: Planning, Place, People, Policy, Process, and Promotion
  • Unlocking India’s tourism potential requires a comprehensive strategy that addresses the six key pillars 6Ps.
  • The government’s Budget Session addressed all these 6Ps effectively by covering destination planning and management, infrastructure development, sustainability and safety, development of human capital, policy and process interventions to align the Centre and states as well as promoting the narrative of Indian tourism.

Tourism: A state subject

  • Tourism is constitutionally a state subject, and the central tourism department has been advocating for it to be moved to the Concurrent List to allow policy-making at both the central and state levels.
  • Granting tourism infrastructure status will provide further impetus to the growth of the sector.
  • The government is also considering the establishment of a National Tourism Board.

Tourism Sector

Conclusion

  • With the right policies and initiatives in place, it’s the ideal time for India to turbo-charge efforts to be among the top three travel and tourism economies globally.

Mains Question

Q. What are the six themes identified by the Union Budget for the development of India’s travel and tourism sector? How India can boost its economic growth through robust tourism sector? Discuss

 


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Tourism Sector

Tourism Potential In Border States

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Vibrant Villages Programme

Mains level: Border Areas tourism

Central Idea

  • India has tremendous tourism potential in its border states, which remains largely untapped due to the remoteness of locations and difficulty of access. The government has made unprecedented efforts to build border infrastructure and announced plans to open villages along the northern border for tourists under the Vibrant Villages Programme. However, encouraging tourism in these areas requires promoting hubs of civilian presence, building necessary infrastructure, and conducting feasibility studies to ensure sustainable development.

What is Vibrant Villages Programme?

  • Improve infrastructure in villages along India’s border with China: The Vibrant Villages program is a government initiative aimed at improving infrastructure and creating job opportunities in villages situated along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
  • Overview: The program involves a significant allocation of funds, i.e., Rs 4,800 crore, to upgrade 633 villages situated in five states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and the Union Territory of Ladakh. Under the programme, residential and tourist centres will be constructed.
  • Objectives of the program: The program aims to enhance the living conditions of the people residing in the border areas and improve the security situation along the LAC with China.
  • Expected Benefits: The Vibrant Villages program aims to provide better facilities like schools, 24×7 electricity, and more 4G telecommunication towers in the border areas to match what is available in settlements across the LAC.
  • Strategy to enhance security: The Vibrant Villages program is part of the broader Indian government strategy to enhance security along the border with China. The investment in developing infrastructure and creating job opportunities is a crucial step towards improving the living conditions of the people in the border areas and enhancing the security situation along the LAC with China.
  • Program is modelled after Chinese actions on LAC: The program is modelled after the Chinese military and civilian authorities’ actions on their side of the LAC to build permanent population settlements along the border.

Tourism potential in Border areas

  1. Karakoram:
  • Regular motorcycle expeditions should be organised for civilians in cooperation with India’s major motorcycle manufacturers. Areas such as the Saser Kangri massif could be explored for mountaineering expeditions by small experienced teams in tandem with the armed forces and the Indian Mountaineering Federation.
  1. Areas around Pangong Lake:
  • The area around Pangong Lake and Chushul is a delight for photographers and birdwatchers. In the Changthang wildlife sanctuary, there are wetlands and a thriving population of the Kiang, a wild ass.
  • Lhari Peak is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists.
  • The Demchok area is home to several hot springs that are popular for naturopathy cures.
  • The nearby villages of Tsaga, Koyul and Hanle can also be further developed.
  • Tourism can be promoted in the Tso Moriri lake area, with a particular focus on home stays.
  1. Mana Pass and Niti Valley in Uttarakhand:
  • It is one of the world’s highest vehicle-accessible passes.
  • The village of Mana is rich in mythology, believed to be the gateway to heaven, and is situated near popular destinations like Hemkund and the Valley of Flowers and the revered Badrinath shrine is located nearby.
  • Tourists can enjoy sailing on the Deo Tal Lake near Mana, while skiing enthusiasts can make use of the nearby slopes. Mount Kamet and other peaks in the Nilang-Jadang valley are also ideal for mountaineering expeditions.
  1. Tourism Potential in Sikkim:
  • In Sikkim, the region around Doka La is ripe for tourism.
  • Pedong, Nathang Valley, Zuluk, Kupup, Baba Harbhajan Mandir and the Yak Gold Course, the highest golf course in the world, are nearby.
  • Conducted tours, including trekking expeditions up to Batang La, could be a start.
  1. Bum La Pass in Arunachal Pradesh
  • In the eastern sector, the Bum La Pass in Arunachal Pradesh is already a well-established tourism hub.
  • There is scope to bring in more tourists all the way up to Zero Point, the site of border personnel meetings with China.
  • Publicity should be given to the memorial built there in honour of Subedar (Baba) Joginder Singh, who was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra for outstanding bravery in the battle near Tongpen La during the India-China war in 1962.
  • Nearby, the Pangateng and Sangetsar lakes are picturesque.
  • Expeditions on the lines of NIMAS’s Winter Bailey Trekking Expedition could attract international tourists to Tawang and the interiors of the State

What measures should be taken to promote commercial activity in India’s remote border areas?

  1. Transition from Military to Tourism in Remote Areas:
  • Encourage Commercial Activity:
  • Prioritize Tourism
  • Build Infrastructure for Tourism
  1. Developing Border Areas for Sustainable Growth:
  • Establish Civilian Hubs and Home Stays
  • Allocate Border Area Development Programme Funds
  • Install Vital Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy Sources

Conclusion

  • While developing border areas for security is crucial, conducting feasibility studies before implementing tourism projects is equally important to ensure sustainability. Unplanned construction violates norms and harms the Himalayan belt, so promoting sustainable infrastructure that benefits the local economy is necessary.

Mains Question

Q. India’s Border Areas have Tremendous Tourism Potential, but it remains largely untapped due to remoteness and accessibility. What measures should be taken to promote commercial activity in India’s remote border areas?


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Tourism Sector

Adopt a Heritage project and Monument Mitras: The Scrutiny

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Adopt a Heritage project, Monument Mitras

Mains level: Adopt a Heritage project and concerns

Monument

Central Idea

  • Businesses that enter agreements with ASI to adopt sites are going to be known as Monument Mitras. The tenfold increase in the number of sites being brought under the ambit of the controversial ‘Adopt a Heritage’ scheme of 2017 raises concerns. Unless the ‘revamped’ scheme is suspended, the nation’s precious pluralistic heritage stands at the threshold of obliteration.

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Monument

All you need to know about Adopt a Heritage project

  • Initiative of Ministry of Tourism: The ‘Adopt a Heritage’ scheme was launched by the Indian government in September 2017 under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
  • Objective: The main objective of the scheme is to provide world class tourist facilities at the various natural/cultural heritage sites, monuments and other tourist sites to make them tourist friendly, enhance their tourist potential and cultural importance in a planned and phased manner across the country.
  • Primary focus: The project primarily focuses on providing basic amenities that include cleanliness, public convenience, drinking water, ease of access for tourists, signage etc. and advanced amenities like TFC, Souvenir shop, Cafeteria etc.
  • Monument Mitra: The public, private sector companies and individuals will develop tourist amenities at heritage sites. They would become ‘Monument Mitra’ and adopt the sites essentially under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity.

What are the concerns?

  • Current plan side-lines the ASI mandate: The current plan also side-lines the mandate of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and abandons The Sarnath Initiative, guidelines devised by the ASI, the Getty Trust, U.S., the British Museum, and National Culture Fund to safe keep excavated objects and present them to visitors in an engaging manner.
  • Undermine local communities and their relationships with historical sites: Guided tours led by employees of large businesses who have received permission to adopt a monument may endanger livelihoods of those who have lived near the site and made a living by regaling visitors with stories of its colourful past.
  • Excessive wear and tear: The potential of big businesses to underwrite a monument’s illumination is also troubling. Night tourism will also pull electricity away from rural homesteads and hospitals.
  • It may alter historical character of monuments which are not under ASI: There are some monuments selected for the scheme that are not protected by the ASI and are in States without Archaeology Directorates. One fears that businesses that sign agreements with the Union Ministry of Culture to adopt these monuments will be able to alter their historical character without much opposition.

Monument

What might Corporate India instead do to look after the nation’s-built heritage?

  • Businesses can help citizens understand why monuments matter: This can be done by earmarking CSR funds for grants for researching, writing, and publishing high quality textbooks, and developing imaginative and effective ways of teaching history.
  • For instance: Corporates might also follow the lead taken by Sudha Murthy and N.R. Narayana Murthy in giving gifts to organizations such as the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune to continue their missions of writing history by rationally coordinating the textual record and the archaeological evidence.
  • Skillful conservation: Industrial houses can support the meaningful conservation of heritage buildings by looking within. Their CSR funds can be used to purchase new equipment that release fewer noxious gases that darken and corrode marble buildings and discharge fewer effluents into rivers, thus making these water bodies less likely to serve as breeding grounds of microbes that gather on the walls of ancient buildings erected on riverbanks and cause their decay.
  • For instance: In the past, Tata Sons, ONGC, and other companies have regularly contributed funds to organisations training individuals in much needed restoration skills and creating jobs for them.
  • Collaborative efforts: The private sector’s resources and expertise may also help the ASI and State Archaeology Directorates to secure monuments from dams, mining projects, defacement, and looting.

Climate change: Significant threat to India’s historical monuments

  • Sanchi Stupa: The 3rd-century BC Buddhist monument in Madhya Pradesh is facing a threat from increasing rainfall and humidity. The stone is deteriorating due to the changes in weather patterns, leading to the loss of carvings and sculptures.
  • Mahabalipuram Monuments: The 7th-century rock-cut monuments in Tamil Nadu are facing a threat from sea-level rise and erosion. The monuments, which are located close to the shore, are being battered by the waves, leading to the loss of sculptures and carvings.
  • Sun Temple, Konark: The 13th-century temple, made of Khondalite stone, is facing a threat from rising temperatures and humidity. The stone is expanding and contracting due to the changes in temperature, leading to cracks and erosion.
  • Hampi Monuments: The 14th-century monuments in Karnataka are facing a threat from heavy rainfall and flooding. The monuments, which are made of granite, are being eroded by the rainwater, leading to the loss of carvings and sculptures.
  • Rajasthan’s Shekhawati’s murals: Shekhawati is known for its beautifully painted havelis with intricate frescoes and murals. Greater fluctuations in temperature are peeling away Shekhawati’s murals.
  • Ladakh’s stucco houses: Higher rainfall is leading Ladakh’s stucco houses to crumble. The traditional way of building houses in Ladakh is under threat due to climate change, which is affecting the durability of the structures.
  • Taj Mahal: The monument built in the 17th century, is facing a threat from rising pollution and changing weather patterns. The white marble is turning yellow due to air pollution.
  • Sea forts in Maharashtra: Rising sea levels are leading to water percolation into forts along Maharashtra’s coast. Salination is eating into their foundations.

Monument

Conclusion

  • Currently, India’s progress in diverse fields is being projected at G-20 events across the nation. By embracing forward-thinking principles of historical preservation, businesses, government agencies, and civil society groups can showcase India’s genuine progress in this arena. Maybe their efforts will inspire more citizens to participate in the pressing task of safeguarding India’s pluralistic heritage.

Mains Question

Q. What is Adopt a Heritage project? Why there needs a scrutiny of such project, highlight the concerns and suggest what else can be done?

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Tourism Sector

Ganga Vilas: A boost to riverine tourism

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: MV ganga Vilas cruise

Mains level: Tourism economy

tourism

Context

  • The travel-tourism-hospitality sector got a symbolic boost on Friday, with the Prime Minister launching the MV Ganga Vilas from Varanasi. The luxury 51-day cruise operated in partnership with private players by the Inland Waterways Authority will traverse several states, two countries and make stops at about 50 tourist and heritage sites along the Ganga and Brahmaputra River systems.

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tourism

All you need to know about MV Ganga Vilas

  • MV Ganga Vilas is the first indigenously made and the world’s longest river cruise
  • The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is the coordinator of this ship tourism project.
  • The cruise has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists, with all the modern amenities and avoids river pollution.
  • It has its own sewage treatment plant besides a water treatment plant that lifts water from the river for daily use.
  • The cruise has a gymnasium, a spa, restaurant, sunbath deck and other amenities on board to entertain the tourists and also to provide them a comfortable experience.

tourism

Journey of MV Ganga Vilas

  • From Varanasi to Dibrugarh: Set to sail from Varanasi, the cruise ship, MV Ganga Vilas, will cover 3,200 km over 51 days, crossing 27 river systems and several states before ending its journey at Dibrugarh.
  • It will cover World heritage sites: The voyage is packed with visits to 50 tourist spots, including World Heritage spots, national parks, river ghats, and major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam.
  • Pilgrimage plus environmental tourism: It will make pit-stops to cover the famous Ganga Arti in Varanasi, the Buddhist site of Sarnath; and even Majuli, the largest river island in Assam.

What are the concerns highlighted?

  • Silting and pollution of rives must be addressed on priority: Two of the greatest threats to India’s rivers silting and pollution must be addressed.
  • Employment generation must go hand-in-hand with ecological repair: Both the PM and Shipping & Ports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal have cited the jobs that riverine tourism could bring to states like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Assam. But employment generation must go hand-in-hand with ecological repair.

tourism

Way ahead

  • Involve local communities: For the government to realise its goal to increase cruise passenger traffic from 4 lakh people to nearly 10 times that figure. But this growth, to be sustainable, must involve local communities.
  • Smaller vessels could be involved: While there is potential for larger, luxury liners, riverine tourism could also expand and cater to travellers from different economic strata. Also, smaller vessels may pose less of an ecological challenge.
  • Lesson to be learnt from Kerala: While the Centre’s push in the sector, with the PM as the face, is welcome, states and the private sector too must be brought on board. There is, for example, much that east Indian states can learn from how Kerala monetizes and maintains its backwaters.
  • Further expansion with worlds best practices: The Ganga cruise, though, should be just a beginning in tapping the unrealized potential of India’s numerous and diverse river systems for tourism. At the same time, the expansion must take into account the best practices from around India and the world, while ensuring local communities and the environment are not given short shrift.

Conclusion

  • The hospitality sector is labor-intensive and can provide some of the formal jobs that a transitioning Indian economy so desperately needs. And given the growing global market for ecologically-conscious travel, India can if it is meticulous and enterprising in its planning protect its rivers and create jobs at the same time.

Mains question

Q. Recently government launched MV Ganga Vilas cruise. Discuss how it will change the face of tourism in India?

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Tourism Sector

Hospitality Industry in India: Adhering to the principle of Atithi Devo Bhava

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: NA

Mains level: Tourism and Hospitality Industry in India

Hospitality

To other Country, I may go as a tourist. But to India I come as a pilgrim”-Martin Luther King 

Context

  • As the world moves on, the service sector travel and tourism business included is emerging as a major growth engine for the Indian economy. People are once again flying in great numbers, airports are crowded, hotels are well booked, and travellers want to explore, connect and feel alive through the exhilarating emotion of travel. Despite several difficulties and challenging infrastructure in hospitality, the industry has fared extremely well.

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Hospitality

What is mean by Hospitality?

  • Hospitality refers to the friendly and generous treatment of guests or strangers.
  • It involves making guests feel welcome, comfortable, and attended to during their stay or visit.
  • The goal of hospitality is to create a positive experience for the guest and to ensure that they have everything they need to feel at home and enjoy their time.

Hospitality Industry in India

  • Hospitality contributes to the economy: The hospitality industry in India is a growing industry which contributes significantly to the country’s economy.
  • India a choiced tourist destination: India is home to number of popular destinations for tourists, due to its diverse culture, ancient civilization, art and architecture, spiritual knowledge centre and the paradise of natural beauty.
  • Infrastructure upgraded with time: The hospitality industry in India has undergone significant growth in recent years, fueled by an increase in domestic and international tourism, as well as the development of new infrastructure, such as airports and roads.
  • Hospitality companies determined to offer diverse experience: Hospitality companies have consistently added supply across all segments budget, business and luxury hotels, homestays, villas and so forth by developing new circuits and offerings that tap into the diverse and myriad potential of Incredible India.

Hospitality

How Hospitality Industry contributes to the Economy?

  • Tourism a driving force: Tourism is seen as a major driving force for any economy. It has a multiplier effect on associated industries like hospitality.
  • Spillover earning: Not only improves economic condition but also enhances standard of living: The spillover of earnings from tourism into other industries not only improves economic conditions but also enhances the standards of living of the local population.
  • For instance, GDP and employment in Goa: This is most apparent at the popular beach destination of Goa. Contributing over 16 per cent to the GDP and 35 per cent to direct employment within the state as per the IBEF Report 2022, the domino effect of the sector on indirect job creation is unrivalled. Today, led by tourism, Goa leads the nation in per capita NSDP (Net State Domestic Product) as per the RBI.
  • Significant impact on high employability: As per trends, every hotel room generates five to seven jobs, both directly and indirectly, further leading to a significant impact on other high-employability sectors such as real estate and infrastructure.
  • Will generate more than 100 million jobs globally: In fact, according to the latest World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) report, the sector is expected to create nearly 126 million new jobs globally within the next decade with at least 20 per cent of these from the Indian subcontinent. However, government support will be instrumental in achieving this.
  • Will augment the Indian economy to reach $1 trillion by 2047: With Indian companies reporting positive earnings this fiscal, the sector is poised to potentially grow three times compared to the pre-pandemic levels to touch $250 billion by 2030 and further accelerate to reach $1 trillion by 2047.

Way ahead

  • Upgrading the infrastructure to cater new consumer demands well: The travel and tourism industry is constantly evolving, catering to rapidly changing consumer demands. A capital-intensive industry, the hospitality sector needs to continually plough back to keep the ball rolling.
  • Attracting more investments: A good start will be the Centre according infrastructure status to the sector, which will boost the industry, incorporating required incentives including regulatory ease, cheaper loans, tax concessions and contributing to a cycle of attracting more investments.
  • Augmenting the infrastructure growth: In addition, industry status at the state and Union territories-level and augmenting the infrastructure growth will also have a much-needed positive impact. States like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have taken the lead, and more should follow suit.

Hospitality

India’s G20 presidency an opportunity for India

  • Challenge to provide world class experience to visiting dignitaries: As India takes on the G20 presidency and starts preparing for the summit in 2023, positioning the country as a safe, tourist-friendly destination hinges on how the government can work together with the industry and provide world-class experiences to visiting dignitaries.
  • Meeting mostly be hosted in hotels: Around 300 plus meetings are expected to take place during the summit, most of which will be hosted within the corridors of the finest hotels across the country.
  • Adhering to the principle of Aithi Devo Bhava: Hospitality companies are leaving no stone unturned to showcase India’s cultural essence, and the inherent warmth of Atithi Devo Bhava in our service philosophy.
  • India can set an impression: Using the summit to highlight the country’s unique and differentiated travel offerings, India can claim its position on the world tourism stage.

Conclusion

  • India’s growth story remains immensely encouraging. On the back of strong consumer demand, travel and tourism offers promising growth and are at an important inflection point. Through collective action between industry stakeholders and government, we can undoubtedly shape an even more thriving future for the industry one that can have a positive impact on the economy and society at large.

Mains question

Q. Tourism and Hospitality is a growing industry in India. In light of this discuss how this industry contributes to the economy? Illustrate with an example.

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Tourism Sector

PM flags off world’s longest river cruise MV Ganga Vilas

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Ganga Vilas

Mains level: River tourism

ganga vilas

Prime Minister has flagged off the world’s longest river cruise – MV Ganga Vilas – and inaugurated the tent city at Varanasi.

About Ganga Vilas

  • MV Ganga Vilas is the first indigenously made cruise vessel to be made in India.
  • The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is the coordinator of this ship tourism project.
  • The cruise has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists, with all the modern amenities.
  • It will cover a distance of 3,200 km in roughly 51 days reaching Assam’s Dibrugarh through Bangladesh.

Destinations covered

  • Set to sail from Varanasi, the cruise ship, MV Ganga Vilas, will cover 3,200 km over 51 days, crossing 27 river systems and several states before ending its journey at Dibrugarh.
  • The voyage is packed with visits to 50 tourist spots, including World Heritage spots, national parks, river ghats, and major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam.
  • It will make pit-stops to cover the famous Ganga Arti in Varanasi, the Buddhist site of Sarnath; and even Majuli, the largest river island in Assam.

 

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Tourism Sector

 ‘PRASAD’ Scheme to create a slew of facilities at Srisailam

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: PRASAD Scheme

Mains level: Religious tourism development

President of India inaugurated ‘PRASAD’ project at the tourism facilitation centre in the pilgrim town of Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh.

About Srisailam

  • The temple at Srisailam is the ancient and sacred place of South India.
  • The presiding deity of the place is Brahmaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy in natural stone formations in the shape of Lingam.
  • It is listed as one of the twelve Jyotirlingams existing in the country.

Development with PRASAD scheme

  • The pilgrim town will get a pilgrim complex, amenities centres, an amphitheatre, sound and light show, digital intervention, parking areas among others.
  • There is total outlay of ₹48.03 crore under the PRASAD project.

Back2Basics: PRASAD Scheme

  • PRASAD stands for Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive (PRASAD).
  • It is 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme under Tourism Ministry.
  • Provisions under the scheme include-
  1. Tourism Promotion and Tourist Ecosystem
  2. Vocational Training for Tourists and Hospitality Business
  3. Hunar se Rozgar tak (HSRT) and earn while you learn programs
  4. Improving Tourist Infrastructure

 

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Tourism Sector

Need for an effective Tourist Police

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Tourist Police

Mains level: Tourism in India and Safety of tourists

Tourist

Context

  • Crimes against tourists and other foreign nationals appear to be on the rise in India. Consider several recent cases, and the lessons they suggest.

Some of the recent cases of crime against tourists

  • A case of rape and murder in Kerala: A few days ago, a Kerala session court sentenced two men to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of a Latvian tourist in 2018.
  • A case of a rape of a girl child in Goa: A 12-year-old Russian girl was raped in a hotel in Goa on April 6 this year. The rapist was an employee of the hotel in which the girl was staying with her mother.
  • A case extortion in Gurugram: An Iraqi couple staying at a hotel in Gurugram for the treatment of the husband in the Medanta hospital was accosted by two miscreants posing as policemen on October 23. They accused the couple of carrying drugs and on the pretext of checking their wallets, fled with $15,000 the couple had saved for the treatment.
  • A case of sexual misconduct in Delhi: On September 2, a British woman lawyer lodged a complaint of sexual misconduct against a cab driver who was ferrying her from the airport to her hotel in South Delhi. The incident traumatized her to the extent that she left for the U.K. within two days of her arrival.

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Status of Crimes against foreigners

  • Drastic decline in cases of crimes against foreigners in Delhi: According to data of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Delhi recorded 27 cases of crime against foreigners last year, a drastic decline from 62 cases reported in 2020 and 123 in 2019.
  • Sharp reduction Rajasthan: Rajasthan has shown a sharp reduction in registration of crimes from 16 in 2019 to just 4 in 2020 and two cases last year, which could be attributed to the sharp decline in tourist arrivals due to COVID-19.
  • Though there is a decline in cases but the data is still shameful and to be studied: As many as 29 foreigners were murdered in the last three years. While 14 foreigners fell victim to rape last year, 16 were raped in 2020 and 12 in 2019. As many as 15 cases of assault to outraging modesty of foreign women were registered last year across the country, apart from 14 complaints of cheating. While 142 cases of theft were lodged by foreigners in 2019, it declined to 52 in 2020 and further dipped to 23 in 2021.
  • Women are more prone and most cases go unreported: Women are more prone to sexual attacks by criminals on the prowl in tourist destinations. For every crime committed against foreigners, there would be several others that go unreported for multifarious reasons, with one of them being the fear instilled in them by the threats of these criminals. In the South Delhi incident, the British national was reluctant to lodge a formal complaint out of fear

Tourist

How do such cases of crimes against tourists tarnish our image?

  • Not only dents our image but also impacts on tourism: Crime against foreigners not only dents our image globally but could also adversely affect the inflow of foreign tourists, which is a vital source of income for our country.
  • It impacts Tourism sector which is one of the significant sources of FOREX: Tourism happens to be one of the biggest foreign exchange earners for India. Such cases may leave tourists moral down and they may lose sense of security.

What is Tourist police scheme and what steps can be taken to ensure security of the Tourists?

  • Booklet on the tourist police scheme and tourist police stations: The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) has brought out a booklet on the tourist police scheme detailing the mode of setting up of tourist police stations and control rooms, outposts, uniforms, recruitment, qualifications, training and logistics requirements for tourist police stations.
  • Identified tourist spots: As many as 25 popular tourist spots have been identified in the country where the tourist police necessarily need to be deployed to help foreigners. As an incentive, 30% deputation allowance has been recommended for the police personnel who joins the tourist police on deputation.
  • Identified Criminals in and around tourists’ spots need to be kept on constant surveillance: While the setting up of tourist police stations is a commendable step to provide safety to foreigners, much needs to be done to instil a sense of security in them even before they leave their countries for India. With theft being the most common crime committed against foreigners, all criminals in and around tourist spots need to be identified and kept under constant surveillance.
  • Fast track courts should be set immediately to try cases of crimes against tourists: Since foreigners come for short durations, the cases cannot be allowed to linger on in courts for long. Fast track courts should be set up immediately to try cases of crime against foreigners and the culprits punished speedily. It may be recalled that a rape convict, Bitihotra Mohanty, was tried for raping a German national in Alwar (Rajasthan) on March 21, 2006 and he was sentenced to seven years imprisonment on April 12, that is, within 22 days.

Tourist

A positive step by Ministry of Tourism

  • For the effective implementation of Tourism police scheme: In order to provide a safe environment for tourists, the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), organised a conference in New Delhi on October 19, 2022. It was organised with a view to “sensitise the specific requirements of the tourists for effective implementation of Uniform Tourist Police Scheme at pan-India level”.
  • States that have tourist police: Though the concept of ‘tourist police’ has been in vogue for the past few years, it has not been given the kind of attention it deserves. The States that have tourist police are Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Rajasthan and Kerala.
  • Delhi a neglected state is gearing up for tourist police wing: In view of the forthcoming G20 Summit, the Delhi police is gearing up its tourist police wing, which was hitherto in a neglected state and so are other States which will see a huge influx of foreigners.

Conclusion

  • With optimistic predictions of about 13.34 million foreign tourists arriving by 2024, there is a pressing need to upgrade our security systems specially to provide a flawless security blanket cover to foreign tourists. Safety assumes utmost importance to draw tourists in hordes.

Mains question

Q. What is tourist police scheme? Why it is necessary to have such a tourist security wing in India? What more steps can be taken to ensure the security of tourist in India?

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Tourism Sector

Process of sustainable tourism should be holistic and inclusive

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: NA

Mains level: Incredible India

To other Country, I may go as a tourist. But to India I come as a pilgrim”, the words of Martin Luther King says a lot about India’s wisdom and tourism potential.

Context

  • The three-day National Conference of State Tourism Minister was held at Dharamshala , a first of its kind meeting aimed  to discuss, debate and deliberate on modes and mechanisms to develop tourism in India .
  • The three-day National Conference concluded with the adoption of “Dharamshala Declaration” which affirms commitment toward developing “sustainable and responsible tourism” and positions India as a “global leader in the tourism sector by 2047”.

What is tourism?

  • Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours.

Types of tourism

  • Domestic tourism: Refers to activities of a visitor within their country of residence and outside of their home (e.g. a Indian visiting other parts of India)
  • Inbound tourism: Refers to the activities of a visitor from outside of country of residence (e.g. a Spaniard visiting Britain).
  • Outbound tourism: Refers to the activities of a resident visitor outside of their country of residence (e.g. an Indian visiting an overseas country).

tourismWhat does sustainable tourism mean?

  • Sustainable tourism is defined by the UN Environment Program and UN World Tourism Organization as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”

What is the main importance of tourism?

  • Tourism boosts the revenue of the economy, creates thousands of jobs, develops the infrastructures of a country, and plants a sense of cultural exchange between foreigners and citizens.

tourismWhy tourism is needed?

  • Tourism is not a fad. It is a compulsion driven by the urge to discover new places. Because we have this compulsion to venture into the unknown, we need each other. When humans travel, meet and exchange ideas, civilization flourishes.

What is “The Dharamshala Declaration” is all about?

  • Aim of the declaration: The Dharamshala Declaration aims to recognise India’s role in contributing towards global tourism as well as focusing on recovery by also promoting domestic tourism.
  • Action plan: In the declaration, the Tourism Ministry has come up with a with a action plan to encourage more Indians to travel domestically and explore India’s natural, cultural, and spiritual beauty while simultaneously reaching the goal of an ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ (interaction and mutual understanding).
  • Strategy: The Tourism Ministry has also been working with the Ministry of External Affairs to identify 20 Indian missions abroad with the highest tourist footfalls to India and build country-specific strategies to attract foreign tourists.
  • Plan according to G-20: The Dharamshala Declaration affirms the plan to position India as a major tourism destination during its presidency of G-20 next year. India’s age-old dictum of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ will come to the fore as it welcomes delegates from the 20 countries/European Union.
  • Necessary steps: The Ministry of Tourism also plans to work with other Ministries to bring in necessary interventions such as visa reforms, ease of travel, travel-friendly and improved immigration facilities at airports.
  • National Tourism policy: Drafted with a holistic vision and strategy to revive India’s tourism and targets to contribute USD 1 trillion to the GDP by 2047.

tourismA draft on National Tourism Policy 2022

  • Framework:
  • Draft on National Tourism Policy 2022 aims at improving the framework conditions for tourism development in the country.
  • Supporting tourism industries, strengthening tourism support functions and developing tourism sub-sectors.
  • Impetus to digitalisation, innovation and technology through the National Digital Tourism Mission and skilling through the Tourism and Hospitality Sector Skill Mission.
  • The policy also gives a special impetus to private sector participation through public-private-partnerships (PPP)
  • Guiding Principles :
  • Promoting sustainable, responsible and inclusive tourism in line with our civilisational ethos From Gautama to Gandhi, India has always spoken about the inherent need to live harmoniously with nature and within our means.
  • The National Green Tourism Mission aims at institutionalising green approach.

tourismTourism Potential in India

  • Employement generation: India has huge tourism potential. If capitalised properly it can emerge as one of the leading sectors to contribute to GDP and also has the potential to augment employment.
  • The Pandemic cost and recovery: The pandemic has caused conspicuous losses for this sector but over the past few months, all the major tourism indices such as domestic air passenger traffic, hotel occupancy and tourist footfalls have shown signs of recovery and are going back to pre-pandemic levels.
  • Short term estimate: By 2024, in short term the country is estimated to contribute USD 150 billion to the GDP from tourism, USD 30 billion in Foreign Exchange earnings and can get 15 million foreign tourist arrivals..
  • Medium term by 2030: It is estimated to grow at seven to nine per cent Compound Annual Growth Rate in the coming decade. In the medium term, that is 2030, the tourism-related goals are USD 250 billion GDP contribution; 137 million jobs, 56 million foreign tourist arrivals and USD 56 billion in foreign exchange earnings.
  • Visionary schemes: The visionary schemes like Swadesh Darshan or Dekho Apna Desh have the potential to increase tourism value while maintaining cultural integrity and ecological sustainability of the places.
  • Dekho Apna Desh: Dekho apna desh rolled out in 2020 envisages encouraging domestic tourism, urging people to visit places in India. India is a land of rich cultural heritage.

Conclusion

  • If the goal of positioning of India as one of the world’s best tourism destinations by 2047, there is need to integrate various schemes of different ministries. Need to involve various stakeholders, and local communities; necessary interventions at urban and rural level should be a priority.

Mains Question

Q.Since the positive and negative outcomes of tourism depend on human factors, including the attitude and behavior of both tourists and hosts, in this context discuss India’s potential to become a global leader in tourism sector.

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Tourism Sector

What is Ambedkar Tourist Circuit?

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Ambedkar Tourist Circuit

Mains level: Not Much

The Central government has announced a special tourist circuit encompassing five key sites associated with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Why in news?

  • Activists have urged that Mahad, located in Raigad District of Maharashtra, famous for Mahad Lake Satyagraha should also be included in the proposed circuit.

Ambedkar Circuit

  • The five cities in the tourist circuit as announced are Mhow (his birthplace), London (where he resided and studied), Nagpur (also studied here), Delhi (where he passed away) and finally Mumbai (where he was cremated).
  • With a special AC train, the government is looking to trace the footsteps of Ambedkar in India by giving better connectivity to four of these spots.
  • The idea is to attract tourists beyond the Dalit community, who mostly visit these places as a pilgrimage.
  • The journey will include meals, ground transportation, and entry to the sites.

About the sites

  1. Janma Bhoomi– Ambedkar’s birthplace in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow
  2. Shiksha Bhoomi– the place in London where he stayed while studying in the UK
  3. Deeksha Bhoomi– the place in Nagpur where he embraced Buddhism
  4. Mahaparinirvan Bhoomi- the place of his demise in Delhi and
  5. Chaitya Bhoomi- the place of his cremation in Mumbai

Back2Basics: Tourism Circuits

  • The government had identified 15 tourist circuits under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme in 2014-15.
  • Besides the Ramayana and Buddhist Circuits, others include Coastal Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit, Heritage, North East, Himalayan, Sufi, Krishna, Rural, Tribal, and Tirthankar Circuits.
  • In terms of train collaboration, the Ramayana, Buddhist, and North East Circuits are already active, while Ambedkar will be fourth.

 

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Tourism Sector

Sustainable Tourism in India

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: NA

Mains level: tourism as economic driver

TourismContext

  • Ministry of Tourism identified Tourism Industry’s potential as a Sunrise Industry.
  • There is a need for tourism analysts to hold tourism planners accountable.

What is tourism?

  • Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours.

Types of tourism

  • Domestic tourism: Refers to activities of a visitor within their country of residence and outside of their home (e.g. a Indian visiting other parts of India)
  • Inbound tourism: Refers to the activities of a visitor from outside of country of residence (e.g. a Spaniard visiting Britain).
  • Outbound tourism: Refers to the activities of a resident visitor outside of their country of residence (e.g. an Indian visiting an overseas country).

What does sustainable tourism mean?

  • Sustainable tourism is defined by the UN Environment Program and UN World Tourism Organization as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”

TourismWhat is the main importance of tourism?

  • Tourism boosts the revenue of the economy, creates thousands of jobs, develops the infrastructures of a country, and plants a sense of cultural exchange between foreigners and citizens.

Why tourism is needed?

  • Tourism is not a fad. It is a compulsion driven by the urge to discover new places. Because we have this compulsion to venture into the unknown, we need each other. When humans travel, meet and exchange ideas, civilisation flourishes.

What should be done to promote tourism?

  • National Tourism Authority: A separate National Tourism Authority (NTA) should be established for executing and operationalizing various tourism related initiatives. Simple, flexible and elegant processes will be laid down to allow for nimbleness.
  • National Tourism Advisory Board: A National Tourism Advisory Board (NTAB) should be set up to provide overall vision, guidance and direction to the Development of Tourism Sector in the country.
  • Creating Synergy in Tourism Eco System: In order to ensure synergy at various levels of Government and with the Private Sector, it is important to have a well-defined framework in place.
  • Quality Tourism Framework: A robust framework for quality certification of products and services across all segments like accommodation providers, tour operators, adventure tour operators, service providers like spa and wellness, guides, restaurants etc. should be laid down.
  • Enhancing the existing luxury tourism products: The existing tourism products such as Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Palace on Wheels etc. should be enhanced and their numbers will also be increased. Haulage charges will be rationalised to make luxury trains viable.
  • Railways can be a game changer: For tourism Railways have presence in most parts of the country. Most of the tourist destinations in the country are connected by rail. Railways is also in the process of connecting more places especially the strategic locations that also are tourist places with limited connectivity at present. Indian Railways is working towards promoting tourism in the country by operating more trains connecting tourists’ destinations and also by providing an array of products starting from luxury tourist trains to budget catering tourist trains

TourismWhat is MICE tourism of Gujarat?

  • The acronym “MICE” stands for “Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions”, and is essentially a version of business tourism that draws domestic and international tourists to a destination.
  • The policy aims to make Gujarat one of the top five MICE tourism destinations in the country.

Way forward

  • Enhance the contribution of tourism in Indian economy by increasing the visitation, stay and spend
  • Create jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities in tourism sector and ensure supply of skilled work force
  • Enhance the competitiveness of tourism sector and attract private sector investment
  • Preserve and enhance the cultural and natural resources of the country
  • To ensure sustainable, responsible and inclusive development of tourism in the country

Conclusion

  • We know that India has the highest tourism potential of any country. That is because we have every terrain and climate zone, and a range of customs, traditions, cuisines, crafts, art forms and festivals unmatched by any other nation. We should monetize our potential through putting comprehensive National tourism policy in place.

Mains question

Q. What should be done to transform our tourist destinations to provide world class visitor experience making India one of the topmost destinations for sustainable and responsible tourism?

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Tourism Sector

Places in news: Nadabet- the Wagah of Gujarat

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Nadabet, Seema Darshan Project

Mains level: Promoting Border Tourism

As part of the Seema Darshan project, Union Home Minister inaugurated an Indo-Pakistan border viewing point in Nadabet in Gujarat, around 188 km from Ahmedabad.

Where is Nadabet?

  • Located in the Rann of Kutch region, Nadabet is also known as the ‘Wagah of Gujarat’.
  • It is connected by a narrow bitumen road cutting across mudflats that get inundated during high-tide.
  • The biggest attraction of the Seema Darshan Project is the access provided to civilians to view the fenced international border with Pakistan at ‘Zero Point’.
  • This is guarded round the clock by the Border Security Force (BSF) in Banaskantha district of Gujarat.
  • Pakistan is around 150 metres from the border pillar 960 at Nadabet.
  • Though the BSF conducts a parade similar to the one held at Attari-Wagah border in Punjab every evening during sunset, there won’t be anyone present across the border on the Pakistani side.

What is the Seema Darshan Project?

  • The Seema Darshan project is a joint initiative of the tourism department of the Gujarat state government and the BSF Gujarat Frontier.
  • The focus is to develop border-tourism in the region which has a sparse population and even sparser vegetation.
  • The project aims to boost tourism as well as restrict migration from the villages across the border to the Indian side.

Role of Nadabet in 1971 Indo-Pak War

  • Nadabet played a key role in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War.
  • It was in this region that the BSF not only stalled the enemy trying to invade from the west, but also captured 15 enemy posts.
  • During the war, the BSF had captured 1,038 square km of Pakistan territory in Nagarparkar and Diplo areas.
  • The area was returned to Pakistan after the Shimla Agreement was signed.

 

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Tourism Sector

Places in news: Cattle Island on Hirakud Reservoir

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Cattle Island

Mains level: Not Much

The Odisha Forest and Environment Department is all set to begin ‘Island Odyssey’ and ‘Hirakud Cruise’ ecotourism packages for tourists to islands inside the reservoir.

Cattle Island

  • ‘Cattle island’, one of three islands in the Hirakud reservoir, has been selected as a sight-seeing destination.
  • When large numbers of people were displaced from their villages when the Hirakud dam was constructed on the Mahanadi river in 1950s, villagers could not take their cattle with them.
  • They left their cattle behind in deserted villages.
  • As the area started to submerge following the dam’s construction, the cattle moved up to Bhujapahad, an elevated place in the Telia Panchayat under Lakhanpur block of Jharsuguda district.
  • Subsequently named ‘Cattle island’, it’s surrounded by a vast sheet of water.

Other islands

  • Then there is an “island of bats”, also within the reservoir, just 1 km away from the Debrigarh ecotourism project.
  • It is the habitat of hundreds of bats.
  • Tourists also get a magnificent view of the sunset from the reservoir. ‘Sunset island’ is one of the three stops on the unique boat ride.

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Tourism Sector

Gujarat’s MICE Tourism Policy

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: MICE tourism

Mains level: Various initiaitves tourism promotion

Gujarat CM has announced the tourism policy for 2021-25, seeking to position the state as the country’s foremost tourist destination, with a focus on investment and livelihood opportunities.

The policy seeks to make Gujarat a hub of “MICE” tourism.

Q. Given the vital importance of the tourism industry in the Indian economy, there is a need to address underneath challenges and adopt a suitable policy for overall growth. Discuss the need for a comprehensive National Tourism Policy.

What is MICE tourism?

  • The acronym “MICE” stands for “Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions”, and is essentially a version of business tourism that draws domestic and international tourists to a destination.
  • The policy aims to make Gujarat one of the top five MICE tourism destinations in the country.

How does the policy proposals to attract MICE tourism?

  • To incentivise international events, the government has announced an assistance of Rs 5,000 to the event organizer per foreign participant staying overnight, subject to an upper limit of Rs 5 lakh.
  • For domestic events, the policy promises financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh per event, capped at three events per organizer per year.
  • For Gujarat to emerge as a venue of big national and international conferences, large convention centres are required.
  • The policy promises special incentives for building big convention centres, including 15% capital subsidy on the eligible capital investment.
  • The government has also promised land on the lease if required.
  • A precondition to avail the incentive is that the convention centre should have at least one hall that can seat a minimum of 2,500 persons.

Why is there a specific focus on MICE tourism?

  • MICE events are major tourism generators, and there is significant scope to tap into it.
  • By incentivizing the organising of MICE events and construction of convention centres in Gujarat, we are trying to plug the gaps.
  • The organizer of an international event can prolong the stay of guests by one or two days, and visitors can visit tourist attractions, of which Gujarat has many.

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Tourism Sector

Skal International Asia Area (SIAA)

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Skal International Asia Area (SIAA)

Mains level: NA

The UT of Jammu and Kashmir has won the bid to host the 50th annual Skal International Asia Area (SIAA) Congress in 2021 during the annual general meeting recently against four other cities.

Note: Skal International is not an affiliate of the United Nations. This is where a prelims  question can pull a nerve.

Skal International

  • Skal International is a professional organization of tourism leaders around the world, promoting global tourism and friendship.
  • It is a Spain-based tourism body with 15,000 members and 150 chapters across the world.
  • The word Skal comes from Scandinavia and has a long tradition. The “Skal” is a bowl containing a welcome drink that is offered to visitors when entering a home.
  • Its members, the industry’s managers and executives meet at local, national, regional and international levels to discuss and pursue topics of common interest.
  • It is the only international group uniting all branches of the travel and tourism industry.

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Tourism Sector

[pib] Thenzawl Golf Resort Project

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Swadesh Darshan Scheme

Mains level: Various initiaitves tourism promotion

Union Minister for Culture & Tourism has inaugurated the “Thenzawl Golf Resort” Project at Aizawl, Mizoram.

Try this question for mains:

Q. Swadesh Darshan Scheme is one of the most ambitious schemes to transform the tourism industry in India. Comment.

Thenzawl Golf Resort Project

  • The Project is sanctioned under the Integrated Development of New Eco-Tourism under Swadesh Darshan- North East Circuit.
  • It is designed by Graham Cooke and Associates, one of top-ranked Canada based Golf Course architectural firm.
  • It is designed to have facilities of international standards.
  • The competitive advantage of Thenzawl Golf Course is that it will provide quality golfing experience and international facilities at a fair price.

Back2Basics: Swadesh Darshan Scheme

  • Swadesh Darshan Scheme is one of the flagship schemes of the Ministry of Tourism, for development of thematic circuits in the country in a planned and prioritized manner.
  • The scheme was launched in 2014 -15 as a Central Sector Scheme.
  • It aims for integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits in the country.
  • Under the scheme, the identified thematic circuits for development are: North-East Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit, Heritage Circuit, Sufi Circuit, and Tirthankara Circuit.
  • “Development of North East Circuit: Imphal & Khongjom” is the first project implemented under the Scheme.

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Tourism Sector

Char Dham Project

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Char Dham Project

Mains level: Not Much

The Chamba Tunnel constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) under Chardham Project was recently inaugurated.

Make a note of all projects and circuits under Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD Scheme.

What is the Char Dham Project?

  • The Char Dham project consists of widening and repairing 889-kilometres of national highways leading to revered shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.
  • It is a proposed two-lane expresses National Highway with a minimum width of 10 metres in the state of Uttarakhand.
  • The project includes 900 km national highways will connect whole of Uttarakhand state.

Chamba Tunnel

  • The Chamba tunnel is 440 m long and is a Horseshoe type tunnel with 10-metre carriageway width and 5.5m vertical clearance.
  • The BRO achieved this major milestone by digging up a 440 m long Tunnel below the busy Chamba town on Rishikesh-Dharasu road Highway (NH 94).

Back2Basics: Border Roads Organisation (BRO)

  • The BRO develops and maintains road networks in India’s border areas and friendly neighbouring countries and functions under the Ministry of Defence.
  • It is entrusted for construction of Roads, Bridges, Tunnels, Causeways, Helipads and Airfields along the borders.
  • Officers from the Border Roads Engineering Service (BRES) and personnel from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) form the parent cadre of the Border Roads Organisation.
  • It is also staffed by officers and troops drawn from the Indian Army’s Corps of Engineers on extra regimental employment.
  • The BRO operates and maintains over 32,885 kilometres of roads and about 12,200 meters of permanent bridges in the country.

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Tourism Sector

[pib] “DekhoApnaDesh” Webinar

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: "DekhoApnaDesh" Webinar

Mains level: Various initiaitves tourism promotion

The Ministry of Tourism has launched its “DekhoApnaDesh” webinar series to provide information on the many destinations and the sheer depth and expanse of the culture and heritage of India.

Tourism and tourist sites carry a high incidence of possible prelims questions.  Take time to quickly revise the Swadesh Darshan , PRASHAD Schemes.   Click here for the repository of all such initiaitives.

About DekhoApnaDesh

  • Under this, a series of webinars will showcase the diverse and remarkable history and culture of India through a documentary series on various cities.
  • It will be including various monuments, cuisine, arts, dance forms, natural landscapes, festivals and many other aspects of the rich Indian civilization.
  • The core of the webinar is based on tourism awareness and social history.
  • The webinar will be available in the public domain through the Ministry’s social media handles- “Incredible India” on Instagram and Facebook.
  • The first webinar, which was part of a series that shall unfold, touched upon the long history of Delhi as it has unfolded as 8 cities.

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Tourism Sector

Henley Passport Index 2020

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: About the Index

Mains level: Global visa policies for Indians

The Indian passport is closer to the bottom, ranked 84th in the world, according to the 2020 edition of the Henley Passport Index.

Henley Passport Index

  • According to Henley & Partners publishes the ranking and the Index of the world’s passports “according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa”.
  • The ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade association of some 290 airlines, including all major carriers.
  • The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.
  • The data are updated in real time as and when visa policy changes come into effect.

India’s performance

  • Since the index began in 2006, the Indian passport has ranked in a band of 71st to 88th. (The number of passports ranked has, however, varied from year to year.)
  • The Indian passport’s 2020 ranking of 84th translates into visa-free access to 58 destinations, including 33 which give Indians visas on arrival.
  • It ranked higher in both 2019 (82, with visa-free access to 59 destinations) and 2018 (81, with visa-free access to 60 destinations).
  • Twenty of the 58 visa-free access destinations in the 2020 list are in Africa, and 11 each in Asia and the Caribbean.
  • Serbia is the only European country to which Indian passport holders can travel visa-free. There is no major or developed country to which Indian passport holders have visa-free access.

Global performance

  • The top 10 most powerful passports this year are ranked in this order: Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Germany, Italy, Finland, Spain, Luxembourg and Denmark.
  • Japan has been topping the Index for three straight years; according to the 2020 index, its citizens are able to access 191 destinations without having to obtain a visa in advance.
  • Afghanistan at rank 107 is the weakest.
  • Singapore, in second place (same as in 2019), has a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 190.
  • Germany is No. 3 (same position as in 2019), with access to 189 destinations; it shares this position with South Korea, which dropped from the second place it held a year ago.
  • The US and the UK have been falling consistently over successive Indices.

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Tourism Sector

[pib] Indian Digital Heritage (IDH) Initiative

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: IDH

Mains level: Virtual and Augmented Reality, IDH

 

The Union Ministry of Culture and Tourism launched a month-long special exhibition titled Indian Heritage in Digital Space. This special exhibition showcases the adaptation and infusion of technologies being developed under the Indian Digital Heritage (IDH) initiative.

Indian Digital Heritage (IDH)

  • This initiative is undertaken by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in the cultural heritage domain of the country.
  • The exhibition demonstrates the outcome of two flagship projects viz., A digital mini-spectacle to showcase the glory of Hampi and Augmented Reality based interactions with physical models of monuments.
  • The goals of these projects are to create digital installations using 3D laser scan data, AR, holographic projections and 3D fabrication,to provide interactive and immersive experiences showcasing the glory of Hampi and five Indian monuments namely Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi; TajMahal, Agra; Sun Temple, Konark; Ramachandra Temple, Hampi ; and RaniKiVav, Patan .
  • These projections are driven by cutting-edge technologies such as 3D fabrication, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality, Holographic Projections and Projection Mapping etc.

ViRaasat

A special installation named ‘ViRaasat’, consisting of a scaled-down 3D printed replica shall provide a mixed reality experience to visitors for selected monuments, using laser-scanning, 3D modelling and rendering, 3D printing, computer vision and spatial AR.

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It’s no secret that our Tourism Industry remains heavily underemployed, highly unregulated and its true potential to both Economy and workforce is still unharnessed. 

With 32 UNESCO recognized natural and cultural heritage sites, India ranks second in Asia and fifth in the world. Still, India’s share in ITAs (International tourist arrivals) is a paltry 0.6%. 

source

Why are International / Foreign Tourists important?

  • For one, they bring in much valued Foreign Currency which contributes to our Foreign Exchange Reserves and keeps our Balance of Payment robust. <Note that Tourist expenditure in India counts as “Exports” under BoP accounting>
  • India’s receipts from tourism during 2012 ranked 16th in the world, and 7th among Asian and Pacific countries (World Tourism Organization Report)
  • It helps stabilize our currency in International Market
  • Builds Brand India (Incredible !ndia campaign has proven to boost foreign tourism more than domestic tourism)
  • Although it is notable that domestic tourists contribute to more than 75% of the revenue from Tourism Sector, but its denominated in INR
    • Note:  Under 7th Schedule division of Powers, Pilgrimages outside India comes under Union’s List while those Inside India is covered by State List.

India’s Comparative performance in International tourist arrivals (ITAs)

  • ITA simply means the percentage of outbound tourists travelling to another country in proportion to all outbound tourists of the world combined.
  • France has the highest share of ITAs, despite being much smaller than a continent size country like India. (India’s share in ITA is 0.6% compared to 7.8 per cent in France)
    • Foreign tourist arrivals by source country: Largest foreign tourists are from USA, 2nd largest from Bangladesh and third largest from UK.
    • Tamil Nadu witnesses most foreign tourist visits.
  •  Although ITAs in India registered a growth of 10.6%, countries like Vietnam and Indonesia continue to have higher shares of FTAs than India
    • Internationally ranking pitiably 41st in terms of Foreign Footfalls- India gets only 77 lakh foreign tourists every year.
    • Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 (World Economic Forum) ranks India 52nd out of 141 countries overall in areas other than Foreign Footfall.
      • India has quite good air transport (ranked 35th)
      • Reasonable ground transport infrastructure (ranked 50th).
  • Target: In next 3-5 years, we want to receive >1 crore tourists (and 1% of the ITAs should be in India)

Who qualifies as a foreign tourist?

  • Staying at least twenty four hours in the country
  • Purpose of whose journey can be classified as either
    • Leisure (recreation, holiday, health, study, religion and sport)
    • Business, family, mission, meeting
  • Following are excluded from category of Foreign Tourists:
    • Persons arriving to take up an occupation or engage in activities remunerated from within the country are not treated as foreign tourists
    • Nationals of Nepal and Bhutan entering India through land routes, are also not included in the data series on foreign tourism

Burning issue of Foreign Tourists and Sexual Assaults

  • Its noteworthy that 40% of the foreign tourists who came to India in 2013 were women
  • Delhi has repeatedly topped the survey for being the most unsafe and hostile city for Foreign Tourists.
  • How can this be prevented?
    • Foreign tourists in India are advised to take the same precautions like domestic tourists take
    • Code of conduct for tourist destinations and the stake holders there has also been fixed.
    • Accused should be apprehended by the police authorities within a few days and action be initiated to bring the culprits to justice
    • E.g. In the Madhya Pradesh incident in March, 2013, the accused were tried in a Fast Track Court and sentenced to life imprisonment within four months.

What are other benefits of Tourism Sector to India?

Economy: 

  • Contributes to 9% of global GDP, In India’s case it contributed 6.8% of the GDP

Employment and demographics:

  • It is a labour intensive industry (Employs 8.7% of India’s workforce) and provides livelihood to non-farm sector
  • Although Tourism in India being largely an unorganized sector activity, potential for employment is still untapped
  • Women comprise 70% of the workforce and 50% of the workforce is below 25 years

Other benefits apart from Employment:

  • Helps preserve heritage and culture (Fundamental Duty and DPSP)
  • Niches such as Rural tourism, and Ecotourism can help reverse migration to urban areas
  • Tourism sector can be a powerful antidote to poverty, it eliminates the disadvantage of market inacessibility suffered by poor in respect of their goods and services by bringing consumers to their doorstep

Tourism reforms by integration with ongoing schemes

It is said that Tourism as a sector doesn’t need huge budgetary expenditure for its rise as a “sunrise industry”. Here, we look at some of the ways we can make it so by integrating with ongoing schemes of Government of India.

1. Infrastructure Reforms and Tourism

  • Sagarmala project beginning with Char Dham Yatra linking Puri Jagannatha Temple to Dwaraka by sea via various places off religious interest enroute
  • MNREGA labour for creating permanent assets like tourism infrastructure and facilities

 

2. Taxation Reforms, Startup India and Tourism

  • Solve the Multiple Taxation Issues (give tax concessions to Tourism Sector)
  • Tour Operators don’t need to pay service tax, if serving foreign tourist for foreign trips. (e.g. Yatra.com etc)
  • Special Tourism Zones shall be notified and developed to encourage investment in identified areas along with PPP
  • Incentivize Startups which promote Tourism in Niche areas such as Adventure Tourism, Ecotourism, Rural Tourism
  • Devise a National Tourist Maps promoting Unique / Mystery Spots, and Less Known Destinations

 

3. Tourist Training Schools, Skill India and Tourism

  • Skill and Etiquettes training to tour operators
  • Certification programmes like Hunar se Rozgar tak (HSRT) and earn while you learn programs
    • Vocational training for tourist guides hospitality business
    • Aims to train 8th class passouts (upto age of 28 years) in Food Production and Beverages services
    • Conducted through Institute of Hotel Management and Food Craft Institutes
    • Diploma in Tourism Management through ITIs

 

4. Swachh Bharat and Tourism:

  • Litter/Recycling Bins at accessible places
  • Special focus on cleanliness and women safety of tourist sites
  • Partnering with Shulabh International (NGO) for scaling up pay-and-use toilets rather than depending on free public utilities (as it has been observed that former type remain more user friendly due to regular maintenance than government ones)

 

5. Green Urban Policies and Tourism

  • Attempts should be made to design climatically responsive and location sensitive tourism architecture
  • Use energy efficient materials for pavements leading to a tourist landmark (minimal use of hardscape materials)
  • Solar lighting and use of renewable energy must be encouraged

 

6. Conservation and Tourism

  • Adopt the principle of “First Conservation Later Tourism” for Cultural Heritage
  • Discourage fountains and water based elements in areas facing water paucity
  • Discourage large scale illumination in areas with electricity shortage (Without compromising on security, of course)

 

7. Sugamya Bharat (Accessible India) and Tourism

  • Promote Universally accessible infrastructure for ease of access by differently abled and elderly
  • Use signages that conform to World Tourism Organization, and UNESCO charters for World Heritage Sites

Annex: Eased norms for Tourit Visa

  • E-visa
    • Will increase foreign tourists by 25%.
    • Foreigner applies online (as opposed to Consulate/Embassy) he’ll get Visa in five days
  • Visa on arrival
    • Foreigner applies online three days before his arrival in India
    • Gets visa on airport, 30 days validity
    • As of 2015, this facility has been enlarged to cover 180 countries
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