Indian Tourism

Indian tourism industry is looking very good with its immense scope. Indian tourism could attract more and more tourists for eco-tourism, religious tourism, historical tourism, medical tourism etc. India is a big country with varied customs and traditions varying from state to state and every single State has some unique characteristics, which could interest tourists in one way or the other.

The ‘Incredible India’ campaign has been quite successful and driven the growth of tourism in the country. It has succeeded in capturing the underlying spirit of the country, its culture, tradition and spirituality to a great extent. Attracting foreign tourists has become a priority and there are expectations of reaching the 10 million mark by the end of the I1th Plan period. The need for creating adequate infrastructure to attract more tourists, especially those from foreign countries, has been a long felt need. The Tourism Ministry has earmarked Rs 650 crore budget allocations for this fiscal to develop sites within the country.

The Ministry has also planned to set up 100 heritage circuits by the end of the 11th Plan of which 25 are expected to be of International standard. The government also plans to build world-class infrastructure at Hampi, Agra, Konark, Khajuraho, Orccha and Datia along with Buddhist and Jain centers. To develop cultural tourism, the government has identified six museums at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Cochin which would be upgraded to compete with global standards.

As religious tourism has been gaining ground for quite some time, the Buddhist area of Raghir, Nalanda and Bodh Gaya have also been chosen for development. A special train has been introduced for the Buddhist pilgrimage from India and abroad particularly from the South Asian countries to promote tourism.

There are many challenges faced by the ministry like many additional star category hotel rooms or good quality resorts in the next three years. The Tourism Ministry has decided to create land banks by acquiring land for building hotels through public-private partnerships on a build-operate basis. There is also need to improve roadways, transportation, ensure clean and hygienic environment and ensure safety and security conditions in the areas and give these places a modern look. Improvement of surroundings of tourist spots, especially in rural areas and ensuring cleanliness needs to be given due attention. It needs to mention here that tourists should not feel any inadequacy of anything and enjoy their travel in India.

There is also a need to concentrate on countries such as South Africa, Israel, Spain, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Brazil and Argentina which would help in attracting tourists to India. Fewer tourists come to India from these countries, so they offer high growth potential. Moreover, the country needs to prepare strategies to increase per capita expenditure on shopping. India has emerged as the 4th favored destination for holidays above South Africa and Switzerland.  It would thus not be difficult to transform the country into a 365 days-a-year destination where tourists would find themselves comfortable at each and every place, whether the visit is intended for historical, religious, and ecological or health reasons.