Indian Tourism Sector
Description
‘Atithi Devo Bhava’: Tourism Industry in India
Description: Read about India's tourism Sector, why is it important, benefits of it to the economy, SWAN analysis of Indian Tourist sector - STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, ACHIEVEMENTS and NEXT STEPS
The state
of economic development of any country depends significantly upon the relative
contributions of the primary, secondary and services sector and the
contribution of the services sector to the GDP decides the nature and quality
of development. In India, it is found that the contribution of the services
sector to GDP is around 55 percent and out of that the share of the tourism
sector is significant.
Tourism
sector contributes about 5 percent to GDP and also creates direct and
sustainable employment. It is witnessed that 1 out of 10 jobs created in India
are from the tourism sector. Further, it generates foreign exchange earnings through enhancing
exports. Overall, the impact of the tourism sector is multi-dimensional, as all
the producing sectors are interconnected and interdependent.
India has
been considered as the ‘Tourist Paradise’ because of its flora and fauna,
architectural monuments, music, painting, art andcrafts, dances, different
cultures and languages, customs/traditions and varied festivals – which no
other country in the world can boast of and /or endowed with.
Importance of Tourism Sector
·
It creates a great deal of demand for work and
hence provides both direct employment within the tourism sector and indirect
employment in the complementary/ derived sectors.
·
Tourism sector helps the country in correcting
the balance of payment deficit through the generation of foreign exchange
earnings.
·
It helps in re-distribution of income and is a
great tool of poverty reduction. It helps in bringing down the urban-rural
disparity and rich-poor divide.
·
Tourism sector is one of the most preferred
sectors for alleviating poverty, inequality and unemployment in diverse and
thickly populated country like India. It provides large scale employment to
tourists’ assistants, hawkers, taxi drivers, tourist guides, photographers,
street vendors and provides indirect employment in its derived sectors. This
sector also opens-up avenues for travel agencies, supply industries,
advertising agencies, food/catering industry, motels, hotels and restaurants.
· It has been contributing to enhanced quality of life, promotes arts/handicrafts and contributes in the increasing awareness about the conservation of environment and cultural heritage. In addition to job creation and additional income, it opens-up opportunities and markets for new products and services, which are auxiliary yet important part of integrated development of the region/state.
The
Ministry of Tourism (MoT), Government of India launched a social awareness
campaign in 2005, ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ which means ‘Guest is like our God’. The
very purpose of the drive is to extend and ensure good behaviour towards the
tourists and make their stay and visit happy and further to motivate the
members of the community to demonstrate generous behaviour during visitor’s
stay. Ultimate focus of the drive is to make citizens more responsible in their
approaches and behaviour in making the country proud.
SWAN Analysis for the Tourism Sector in India
S = Strengths
·
Both central and state governments have
designed a variety of tourism schemes to promote the sector.
·
Tourist destinations have rich variety and
diversity i.e., nature, resorts, historical places, heritage sites,
local/regional festivals, multi-cultural exchanges, etc.
·
Variety of pricing offers available for all
categories of customers (domestic and foreign).
·
Majority of the tourist destinations across
India have good facilities and amenities … including transportation,
accommodation, medical and shopping etc.
·
Some tourist destinations are known for unique
experiences and features e.g,. Eco-tourism in North East States, Health Tourism
is Kerala, Fun Tourism in Goa, Temple Tourism in South Indian states, etc.
W = Weaknesses
·
Maintenance, cleanliness and hygiene are some
of the continued challenges.
·
Safety and security aspects are a matter of
concern in some of the tourist destinations.
·
With the advent of technology &
accessibility of mobile internet, the information is available but sometimes
reliable/ updated information is lacking on some tourist places, especially
which are not part of mainstream tourist places.
·
The variety and availability of non-spicy food
for the foreign travellers is a challenge in some destinations.
·
At times, the resident/local residents in
tourist destinations exploit the tourists (by corruption, cheating, over-charging,
unruly behaviour, etc.), thereby creating bad experiences and that is affecting
the image of tourism in India.
A =
Achievements
•
India is land of diverse climate, weather and
tourist destinations of all kinds – in all the seasons of the year (rare
opportunity, unlike other countries having seasonal tourism).
•
There is a tremendous progress achieved in
attracting and promoting tourism in some destinations, where income of local
people increases, employment enhances, local MSME and artisan businesses
flourish etc. (e.g., Goa, Northeast, Kerala, etc.).
•
The untapped potential in attracting and
encouraging the planned tourism, especially for the foreign tourists by
enabling greater and memorable experiences is on rise.
•
Adequate opportunities have been utilised for
nurturing the Eco-tourism like in Kerala, Northeast, Hilly/mountain areas, etc.
•
Schemes like PRASHAD, Swadesh Darshan, and
Niche Tourism are doing well and tourist services like e-visa are on rise and
support services have been strengthened.
N = Next Steps
•
There is a dire and urgent need to design
‘Tourism as an Experience’, rather than just a ‘Service’ of visiting places,
food, stay, shopping, etc.
•
The marketing, strategising and branding of
some tourist destinations/places have to be under ‘PPP (Public Private
Partnership) Model’ and exploitative nature of local residents to be addressed
as a system.
•
At times, the local/regional heritage is
getting lost amid man-made tourist attractions. This must be addressed by
treating it as a national heritage and lot can be done in this domain.
•
In some places (though few), the local
political tensions and/or terrorism/communal riots affect the tourists and
hence that refrain them from visiting; hence media and PR management becomes
crucially important.
•
An integrated and holistic approach to be adopted
by central and state governments, along with private players, so that the rich
heritage and diverse culture is preserved, protected and nurtured.
Government Initiatives
•
Swadesh Darshan is an initiative taken by the
government to enrich the tourist experiences and to enhance opportunities and
to promote lesser known destinations.
•
National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation
and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) launched by the Ministry
of Tourism with a special objective of holistic development of pilgrimage and
heritage destinations.
•
Other schemes for tourism development include:
Central Agencies for Tourism Infrastructure Development; Gap Scheme for Revenue
Generating Tourism Projects; Capacity Building for Service Provider; Domestic
Promotion and Publicity including Hospitality; Overseas Promotion and Publicity
including Marketing Development Assistance; Champion Services Sector Scheme;
Safe Tourist Destination for Women; and Development of Iconic Tourist
Destination etc.
•
Government has already started new-age tourism
which includes niche tourism to attract inbound and domestic tourists. The very
purpose of the creation of ‘Sustainable Tourism’ is a kind of shift from
‘Seasonal Tourism’ to ‘365 Days Tourism’ and to meet the needs of the new
customer segments distinct experiences. Niche tourism undertaken includes:
cruise, adventure, wellness tourism, medical, golf and polo, film tourism,
health tourism, heritage tourism, eco-tourism, rural tourism and sustainable
tourism.
There is
an urgent need to further strengthen the core infrastructures like airways,
railways, roadways, and waterways etc., and also need to tighten the safety and
security aspects so as to strengthen the tourism sector. People participation
must be encouraged and should be done at the local level to make it more
people-centric and participatory. The digital follow-up and connectivity
networks at destinations must be strengthened further to address safety and
security issues and to ensure quality experiences of the tourists.
How to Prepare for IAS | FAQs on UPSC | Up-to-date Current Affairs | Latest Videos & Updates | Article:
