Facts:
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Technology giant Google has tied up with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for 360 degree virtual tour of 280-odd monuments across the country.
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India was ranked third in the tourism sector, according to the 2018 report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
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The global revenue growth from tourism sector was five per cent and Indian tourism sector grew by 19.4 per cent.
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87 per cent of revenue was contributed by domestic tourists and 13 per cent foreign tourists.
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Spiritual tourism contributed around 60-70 per cent of the total domestic tourists.
Budget Provisions:
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Government will set up five Special Tourism Zones in partnership with States
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To boost the image of India in the international travel market Incredible India 2.0 Campaign will be unveiled across the world the financial year 2017-18
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Rs 959.91 crore has been allocated for the Integrated Development of Tourist Circuits around specific themes under Swadesh Darshan scheme
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Rs 100 crore has been allocated for Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD)
Critically examine, despite rich cultural and natural heritage, unlike China or other Asian countries why India is not a top tourist destination for foreigners? (200 Words)
Reasons for this includes:-
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Underdeveloped tourism infrastructure with lack of connectivity and qualitative accommodation facilities amounts to problems.
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Added to this poor sanitation and hygiene issues add to the woes. Government have started Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to address this issue but this will take time to show results.
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Inadequate trained guides along with having knowledge of different languages.
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Safety and security of the tourists is another issue which have increased in recent times with reports of rapes, molestations coming often.
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Lack of adequate marketing and promotion of tourism at the global level. Though the government runs the campaign of “Incredible India” but its intensity is not in line with the demands of the sector.
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Complex visa issues with delays in receiving visas by tourists. To check this issue government has started e-visas for 43 countries in the past one year.
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Tourism sector is heavily taxed. Be it airline ticket, hotel room everything is so expensive that tourist try to avoid stay in India.
Steps that can be taken:-
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Develop tourism infrastructure which should also include disable friendly infrastructure too citing their huge numbers of willing tourists to visit India.
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Providing training to guides in different languages like German, French etc.
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Raising awareness in the society about the importance of the tourists and motivating them to follow the tradition of “Athithi Devo Bhava”.
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Giving due importance to the safety and security of the tourists.
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Lastly it is very important that whatever we are doing it should be marketed at the global level to attract tourists via promoting the brand of Indian tourism.
It is high time that we need to tap the huge geographical, cultural potential for tourism in the country. By doing this it will not only bring more forex in the country giving fillip to the economy but will also create the much needed employment opportunities.