VP stresses need to boost tourism to domestic destinations
New Delhi | Wednesday, Mar 3 2010 IST
 

While appreciating the huge growth in the number of outbound tourists from India to foreign destinations, Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari today stressed the need to encourage tourism to destinations within the country.

''It is estimated that the outbound travel market from India is a growth sector accounting for over 10 million outbound trips and over 8 billion dollars of international tourism expenditure by our citizens. The outbound Indian traveller is being wooed with attractive offers and travel packages. The scale of outbound tourism is a challenge to all stakeholders to attempt to redirect some of them to tourist destinations within the country,'' the Vice President said after presenting the National Tourism Awards here.

Stating that despite India being ''an ideal tourist destination'' with its glorious history, rich cultural heritage, diversity of flora, fauna and landscapes, their full potential was yet to be tapped, Dr Ansari said, ''We recorded over 5 million foreign tourist arrivals, in addition to about 550 million domestic tourist visits. Even so, tourism is an important sector of our economy and has contributed over 11 billion dollars to our foreign exchange earnings in 2009.'' Talking about the various challenges facing the tourism sector, the Vice President said it should not have a negative impact on the rights of local peoples.

''As we seek to adapt the various elements of the tourism sector to the diverse political economies of our states, care must be taken so that tourism empowers and does not result in any negative consequences for the rights of local peoples and their access to local resources. ''Tourism must also ensure that environmental sustainability is maintained and the integrity of the political economy is not impacted,'' he said at the function presided over by Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja.

Also present at the function was Union Minister of State for Tourism Sultan Ahmed.

Calling for making the tourism sector more inclusive, the Vice President said, ''Just as we seek to make the developmental process more inclusive, we must also ensure that the tourism sector is more inclusive from the point of view of composition of tourists and the economic beneficiaries of tourism. ''The tourism industry must not accentuate existing social and economic inequalities but must seek to dampen them.'' Observing that happenings like the global economic meltdown, pandemics, terror attacks and domestic and regional conflicts had an impact of derailing tourist arrivals, he said, ''These incidents test our national resolve and necessitate acute awareness of a precautionary culture, and its practice. We must demonstrate that the government and the people of India are determined to overcome these challenges.'' Commending the Tourism Ministry for instituting these awards, especially a new award for 'Best Civic Management of a Tourist Destination in India', the Vice President said, ''These awards encourage state governments, municipalities and local government bodies, and various travel, tourist and hospitality organisations to review best practices and lost opportunities, to improve and excel.'' Earlier, the Vice President honoured the winners of the awards under various categories.

The National Tourism awards intend to honour various stakeholders in the tourism industry for their contribution to promoting India as a tourist destination and improving the experience of tourists.

-- (UNI) -- 03DI17.xml

 

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