| Travel and tourism has gained a never-before | | | | international markets. This time around, the world |
| momentum over the last decade. And India, | | | | MICE market is estimated to be around $280 |
| except for some areas to be heeded, has been | | | | billion of which Asia's share is $30 billion. Initiatives |
| keeping pace to the money-making and | | | | are also being taken to develop 127 rural sites into |
| development drive. Initiatives taken up by India | | | | tourist destination to flaunt their local culture, |
| through various measures including public-private | | | | heritage, cuisine and art. This is how things have |
| partnership are much visible now. 2007 witnessed | | | | started to take off. |
| over five million tourists to India and the trend | | | | Herein lies the rub. As of now, efforts being taken |
| continues in 2008 with 12% growth in foreign | | | | are more of branding exercises than working for |
| traffic and 29% growth in forex earning in the | | | | the ground realities. Unless India makes it to offer |
| first four months of the year. Setting up of a | | | | quality tourism products and world-class |
| tourism office in Beijing gave forth a new avenue | | | | infrastructure, branding exercise alone can't turn |
| as far as tour to India is concerned. But, India still | | | | up returns. In a country like India, tourism is |
| has miles to wade through in terms of offering | | | | largely a regional phenomenon, while some areas |
| better tourism products and world-class | | | | are flourishing with activities; some are unexplored |
| infrastructure. 'Incredible India' campaign has been | | | | yet even as they have potential. Tourists still |
| a major success of the past few years. But it | | | | gather at the conventional sites of some |
| doesn't cause us to be poised enough for our | | | | prominent cities of India like Delhi, Agra, Mumbai, |
| neighbor china boasts of 50 millions foreign visitors | | | | etc. Given the range of diversity; and heritage |
| and we have the required potential. | | | | pool, we could have adopted measures to |
| The campaign has been triumphant in capturing | | | | disburse foreign tourists to each corner of the |
| high-end tourists spending more time in India. And | | | | country. |
| even though countries like Indonesia, Thailand, and | | | | Our land is already a tourists-savvy one. All we |
| Singapore have larger number of tourists arrivals, | | | | need is a strategy involving public and private |
| the foreign exchange earned per foreign tourist | | | | participation. There is acute shortage of hotels and |
| of India is much higher - which is $1,920 compare | | | | manpower to deal with escalating number of |
| to Indonesia ($905), Singapore ($835) and | | | | tourists. Floor Area Ratio (FAR) in many cities is |
| Malaysia ($520). This is because India is able to | | | | still inadequate. France has little to flaunt in terms |
| provide quality products, better service and | | | | of cuisine, geography and culture; and a country |
| improved infrastructure. Ambika Soni, Minister of | | | | six times smaller than India, can attract 20 times |
| Tourism and Culture in a recent interview | | | | number of tourist that India did. |
| highlighted many areas that are being taken care | | | | India is insecure. The cases of tourist murder are |
| of for us to be hopeful of India's economic | | | | being reported every month, the tragic murder of |
| growth. The minister said Medical Tourism has got | | | | scarlet recently has added to the woes of |
| a boost and over one lakh fifty thousand patients | | | | foreigners. Foreigners are fleeced everywhere. |
| arrived in India in 2004 from across the globe for | | | | Many hotspots in India are connected |
| medical treatment. E-commerce platform has | | | | unacceptably. It is high time for India to embark |
| been put on the portal of Incredible India. This | | | | on a mission to develop the unexplored sites |
| service has got many online companies like | | | | across India, connect them properly; increase the |
| yatra.com, makemytrip.com, etc. together thus | | | | number of hotels; provide infrastructure; offer |
| enabling the customers to avail competitive price. | | | | security to foreigners and finally to wake up |
| In an effort to put India on the global tourism | | | | Indians to work jointly to make our country the |
| map, we have witnessed BBC and CNN to have | | | | best travel getaway of the world. Mere branding |
| produced number of TV commercials for | | | | efforts wouldn't work. |
| 'Incredible India' campaign both in domestic and | | | | |