A call for prosperity in tourism
Infrastructure development and destination management therefore, hold the key to India's sustained growth in the tourism sector. Another critical issue is hotel accommodation .We need more hotels particularly budget accommodation.
TOURISM HAS emerged as one of the most important industries in Asia, creating employment over the last 50 years. Nearly eight per cent of global employment is dependent on tourism. The latest study by the World Travel and Tourism Council demonstrates that between 2008 and 2018, the highest annualised real growth of travel and tourism demand worldwide, at 9.4 per cent will occur in India.
Infrastructure development and destination management therefore, hold the key to India’s sustained growth in the tourism sector. Another critical issue is hotel accommodation. We need more hotels particularly budget accommodation. The 1,700 hotels in the country have about 96,000 rooms, but only about 30 per cent of them cater to the medium market segment. India needs another 1,50,000 rooms in the next three years to sustain tourism growth and penetrate large volume markets like china. High land prices, outdated land laws and absence of single window clearance have hamstrung the hotel sector.
The economic downturn and the terror attack in Mumbai have adversely impacted tourism. I have no doubt that the tourism industry will be hard-wearing and bounce back as it did post September 2001.
Though the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and china) account for half the world’s population only five per cent of their population has travelled abroad compared to almost 50 per cent in the developed countries. With their basic needs being fulfilled, people in India and china have started travelling and discovering new destinations, exploring new tourism products, indulging in shopping and trying out unexplored cuisines. A recent report by ‘Visit Britain’ highlights the fact that Indian tourists outspend Americans in Britain.
There is an increasing trend of young entrepreneurs driven by dynamism, breaking away from the five star deluxe world of tourism. The retiring baby boomers in the United States and Europe comprising the affluent older consumers are setting new trends of short breaks –multiple short holidays in a year, seeking genuineness of experiences. This will fuel an increase in demand for cultural tourism as their desire will be to experience different cultures, meet different communities and explore historical sites. This trend will provide impetus for countries like India with a rich section of history and culture.
A key driver of change in travel and tourism will be technology. The Internet has already had an extraordinary impact on the way people travel. Hand-held devices and the use of digital technology will enable travellers to book and travel without intermediaries. Technology has already reduced costs, enabled faster travel and led to the successful emergence of low cost carriers.
To drive growth in the sector we need to push five critical Cs: civic governance (improving the quality of tourism infrastructure), capacity building (taxi drivers, guides and help staff), communication strategy (constant modernisation of the incredible India campaign and penetration in new markets), convergence of tourism with sectors of the Indian economy and civil aviation (better airport infrastructure, validation of taxes and continued opening up of skies).
In the context of India, the vast potential of tourism as an employment creator and wealth distributor still remains untapped. The size of tourism industry worldwide is 4.6 trillion dollar whereas the software industry globally is a mere 500 billion dollar. The tourism industry globally generates over 250 million jobs whereas, the software industry generates only 20 million jobs.
As India grows and expands its base in travel and tourism, it will generate many more jobs and the sector will become a major catalyst for India’s growth with social equity.
A critical constraint in tourism expansion is our lack of quality experience on the ground. Although India’s USP is its matchless traditional sites, but on the ground, there is shockingly poor sanitation and safety. These tourism infrastructure deficiencies can upset India’s drive to become a world class global destination. So tourism has to become every ones concern. The incredible India branding can’t be inaccessible from the ground reality. Essentially a brand is what a brand does. The campaign can’t be continued if the quality of experience offered to tourists doesn’t remain credible.
The economic downturn and the terror attack in Mumbai have adversely impacted tourism. I have no doubt that the tourism industry will be hard-wearing and bounce back as it did post September 2001.
Till mid 1990s, no one had heard of Kerala as a tourism destination. Its emergence in great measure was due to traffic diversion from terror affected Jammu and Kashmir. Kerala was ready for this and developed new products like the backwaters and ayurveda; its entrepreneurs had created boutique resorts and quality infrastructure had been created. Other states need to emerge as tourism destinations by enhancing the quality of experience and creating sub-brands. As we know that in our country there are a lot of sites which are culturally rich and they are the sources of large revenue earner as a lot of tourist visit to these places eg, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Assam, Arunchal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Goa etc.
Domestic tourism can help to balance both the present harsh conditions and seasonality of inbound tourism. The strategy necessitates creating awareness among the rising Indian middle class about new experience (chasing the monsoon), new attractions (plantation holiday), new adventure (exploring the Indian Himalayas) as well as pilgrim circuits, heritage and monuments.
Domestic tourism can help to balance both the present harsh conditions and seasonality of inbound tourism. The strategy necessitates creating awareness among the rising Indian middle class about new experience (chasing the monsoon), new attractions (plantation holiday), new adventure (exploring the Indian Himalayas) as well as pilgrim circuits, heritage and monuments.
Though the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and china) account for half the world’s population only five per cent of their population has travelled abroad compared to almost 50 per cent in the developed countries. With their basic needs being fulfilled, people in India and china have started travelling and discovering new destinations, exploring new tourism products, indulging in shopping and trying out unexplored cuisines. A recent report by ‘Visit Britain’ highlights the fact that Indian tourists outspend Americans in Britain.
There is an increasing trend of young entrepreneurs driven by dynamism, breaking away from the five star deluxe world of tourism. The retiring baby boomers in the United States and Europe comprising the affluent older consumers are setting new trends of short breaks –multiple short holidays in a year, seeking genuineness of experiences. This will fuel an increase in demand for cultural tourism as their desire will be to experience different cultures, meet different communities and explore historical sites. This trend will provide impetus for countries like India with a rich section of history and culture.
A key driver of change in travel and tourism will be technology. The Internet has already had an extraordinary impact on the way people travel. Hand-held devices and the use of digital technology will enable travellers to book and travel without intermediaries. Technology has already reduced costs, enabled faster travel and led to the successful emergence of low cost carriers.
To drive growth in the sector we need to push five critical Cs: civic governance (improving the quality of tourism infrastructure), capacity building (taxi drivers, guides and help staff), communication strategy (constant modernisation of the incredible India campaign and penetration in new markets), convergence of tourism with sectors of the Indian economy and civil aviation (better airport infrastructure, validation of taxes and continued opening up of skies).
In the context of India, the vast potential of tourism as an employment creator and wealth distributor still remains untapped. The size of tourism industry worldwide is 4.6 trillion dollar whereas the software industry globally is a mere 500 billion dollar. The tourism industry globally generates over 250 million jobs whereas, the software industry generates only 20 million jobs.
As India grows and expands its base in travel and tourism, it will generate many more jobs and the sector will become a major catalyst for India’s growth with social equity.
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Medical tourism is one of the key areas that needs attention. With huge costs involved in private treatment in developed countries and long waiting times with state sponsored health care, the potential to link tourism with medical treatment in India is immense. But this industry sector can only sustain if it is cost effective. It has also not been able to establish itself due to lack of proper marketing.
The other important factor affecting is lack of trust in local population. Tourists are often de-frauded by local gangs. Lack of information centres, waiting rooms, restaraunts, trained guides, interpreters etc add to the already inefficient service provided to the tourists. The government has been incapable of giving this industry the recognition it deserves. Not due to lack of money, more than 40% of the allocated budget remains unspent. Compared to tourism in developed countries, most tourism in India is still in its infancy.
VERY INFORMATIVE ARTICLE INDEED.
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