Facts and Figures !
- The
international tourism industry --- $1.4 trillion behemoth (2014 statistics).
- Worldwide
revenues have nearly doubled between 2004 and 2014.
- In 2014, the
world’s top five tourism superpowers - the US, France, Spain, the UK, and China - together accounted
for nearly 27 per cent of tourist arrivals and 33 per cent of tourism
revenues worldwide.
India
is a large country with a rich history. The presence of this history is seen in
the innumerable heritage sites available throughout the country. India also has
a rich religious diversity and history. Almost every town and Village is dotted
with incredible architectures of ancient past. There are innumerable hills,
mountains, rivers, lakes that offer tremendous tourism possibilities. Add to
this the need for modern amusement parks, water parks and theme parks. And
combine the wide variety of handicrafts and other crafts.
Positive
news !
- India succeeded
in increasing its international tourism
arrivals over two-fold and revenues
over three-fold in the 2004-2014 decade, without putting in a serious
effort.
- The number of
tourists visiting India is slowly increasing every year. There were 10.8
per cent more tourist arrivals in
2016, as compared to 2015.
Negative aspect !
- India received 7.68 million tourists in 2014 and earned $20.76
billion in revenue, less than far smaller countries and
territories such as Macao, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Australia and
Switzerland, just to name a few.
- India received only 6 tourists per 1000 people, with
even disaster-ravaged Haiti, sanctions-stricken Iran and Myanmar, drug
war-torn Mexico and Colombia, repressive Saudi Arabia, and neighbouring
Sri Lanka performing far better.
What can be done to AUGMENT TOURISM Industry in India ?
One Well Maintained
Historic Archaeological Monument Per 10 Million People
- India has
thousands of incredible archaeological sites that need restoration and
maintenance. Thousands more lie undiscovered. Every state should develop one such site per 10
million people, giving India a total of 130 such monuments, instead of
just the Taj Mahal and a handful more.
- The monuments
should be professionally restored by experts, using original materials.
The Archaeological Survey of India, which is tasked with protecting and
maintaining India’s ancient monuments, and has produced truly great
luminaries such as professor B B Lal in the past, does not have the
know-how, the state-of-the-art technology, and the world-class expertise
needed to maintain and restore our ancient heritage.
- The disastrous
way in which the Bandra fort and the numerous ancient caves and monuments in Mumbai have been handled is a case in point. Foreign experts should be hired to lead the restoration teams, and as consultants and
mentors to train the next generation of Indian experts.
A
case of Shanivaar Wada !
-- there
are many palaces and old buildings in Pune, and those are in a very bad
shape. ‘Shaniwar
wada’ which was once the epitome of power of Peshwas, is now almost in ruins. There is just an outer wall which
exists. The entire internal structure is said to be burned in fire. It is said
that the old maps of this palace are still available. Various old documents
have references of the interiors of this place. If re-built, this will be the
biggest tourist attraction of the town.
The famous Shakespeare’s Globe theatre
in London was burned in fire, but was rebuilt and is one of the famous
attractions of London. Then why can’t we renovate and restructure our ancient
monuments and palaces?
Create experiences, not
sightseeing spots
- If you closely notice, many tourist
destinations around the world are merely made up of created experiences.
Be it botanical gardens, architectural monuments, backwaters, the
Himalayas, the tourism ministry should see the potential of a place to
attract tourists rather than merely banking on the natural beauty of a
place.
- The tourism industry which
includes the government and private players, need to manipulate
destinations as experiences and not sightseeing point alone.
- For instance, steps can be taken
to make the tour replete with tour
guides, activities for the children, culinary tours, interactivity for the
tourist with the culture of the place, world class yoga institute , world
class dance institutes, world class theatre institutes , world class music
institute, world class museum, world class film insitute etc. Let's
see each of them below one by one !
- A
World-Class Museum
- Consider the beautiful city of Geneva, Switzerland, which
has a population of less than 2 lakh people.
It has more than 40 museums and 50 art galleries, all exquisitely
maintained. The city is an art and culture lover’s paradise. One can
spend a month there and still not be able to fully experience all the
cultural delights the museums and galleries have to offer. Is it any
surprise that Switzerland attracts more tourists per year than its
entire population?
- A
world-class museum is an affirmation of pride in one’s history and
culture. It is a tourist magnet. The
Met in New York City, the Louvre in Paris, and the Egyptian Museum in
Cairo immediately come to mind. Not only do these museums
increase their countries’ international reputation and soft power, they
also keep tourists on location longer, encouraging them to spend more
money in the local economy.
- Every
state must develop one world-class museum. It should be modeled after
the worthies mentioned above or any other internationally renowned
museum. It must showcase the state’s archaeological, historical,
natural, and cultural heritage.
- A
World-Class Culinary Institute
- Despite
having possibly the world’s greatest variety of regional cuisines, India
doesn’t have a
single internationally recognised chef or Michelin star restaurant,
unlike other competing Asian countries.
The reason for this is simple: India does not have professional,
world-class culinary institutes. The numerous cooking schools run by
amateurs and enthusiasts (including some local “celebrity chefs”) do not
count.
- Every state must develop one world-class culinary institute,
modeled on a top institute such as the Culinary Institute of America.
It must train budding chefs according to international standards, as
well as develop and augment the state’s local cuisine. It should have
on-campus restaurants and cooking classes for tourists, the revenues
from which should be utilized for running it.
A World-Class Film Institute
- India’s film industry is closeted,
myopic and one-dimensional. It does not represent the real India.
It is not taken seriously internationally. This must be changed, by
creating a world-class film institute in every state, modeled after the
top schools in Europe and America.
- It should teach
students the various aspects of film making such as film production, broadcasting, cinematography, editing, audio
engineering, digital media production, animation, film history,
etc.
- Students should
be encouraged to use the local language and explore subjects of local
interest.
A World-Class Theatre
Institute
- It should be
modelled after the best theatre and drama schools in Europe and America.
It should teach students theatre, drama, and acting, and collaborate with
the film institutes.
A World-Class Music Institute
- India is home to
the world’s oldest, greatest, and most sophisticated classical and folk
music traditions, all of which are on the verge of dying out. Great,
iconic musicians and vocalists such as Pandit
Ravi Shankar, Nikhil Banerjee, Bhimsen Joshi, M Balamuralikrishna, and
many others have passed away, and India is no longer able to produce new
musicians capable of filling the void.
- Each state must
have a music institute tasked with reviving India’s classical and folk
music and instruments, helping bring them in the modern, 21st century
context, and helping the state develop a high-quality music industry
independent of monopolistic and increasingly culturally irrelevant and
creatively bankrupt film industries such as Bollywood.
A
World-Class Dance Institute
- A small country
like Spain receives more tourists per year than its entire population,
fuelled to a large extent by the worldwide craze for its national dance, Flamenco.
- Interestingly,
Flamenco owes its origin to Spain’s Indian-origin Romani people, and has much in common with
India’s classical Kathak dance.
- Spain has just
one iconic dance form. India has more than 10 major classical dance forms, and dozens of amazing folk
dances, most of which are in danger of extinction. This is a unique and
peerless cultural heritage that tourism can help preserve.
- As with the
music institutes, the dance institutes must revive India’s classical and
folk dances, and help bring them in the modern, 21st century context.
A
World-Class Art Institute
- It should teach
painting, sculpture, and other allied arts.
- A cursory glance
at India’s ancient monuments is sufficient to see that India has rich
artistic traditions going back thousands of years.
- The art
institutes must revive the artistic talent and creativity in the country,
which will help attract the millions of tourists who travel in search of
art every year.
- They should be
equipped with on-campus galleries and should conduct regular art
exhibitions.
A
World-Class Yoga Institute
- India
must build upon Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s efforts and create a
world-class yoga institute or university in each state, where yoga is not only taught and practiced, but also
studied by historians, and researched and developed further by scientists
and medical experts. The institutes must set the world's
standards in yoga, and determine what constitutes yoga, and what does not.
- They
should offer brief lessons for beginners, week or month long courses for
enthusiasts, as well as degree courses for serious students. Foreign
tourists should be encouraged to participate and enroll, just as they are
in China’s Kung Fu schools.
- The Shaolin Temple’s Kung Fu school is famous for its iconic
imagery of thousands of students practicing in unison. Millions of
tourists travel to China just to witness such scenes. India’s yoga
institutes must do the same, for yoga.
Temple
Festivals
- Khajuraho Dance
Festival, Lokrang Festival, Lohri celebration etc are not the only known
festival which attracts tourism, but small festival, local cultural event
and annual celebration in Rural places is a Big opportunity to attracts
tourism.
- For this the
State wise tourist booklet should be available for free to Tourist online and
in Tourist information centers.
- Book should
contain festival name, description, history, and number of attendee in
last few years, pictures and etc. This need to be heavily published,
televised, advertised so that essence of diverse colours of INDIA pull
tourists towards it !!
Each
state should conduct a yearly week-long
festival to celebrate its culture and heritage, with the participation
of the state’s institutes and museum.
 |
| England’s Glastonbury Festival |
 |
| China’s Snow and Ice Festival in Harbin |
 |
| Nevada’s
Burning Man |
The festival should be modelled after
high-quality, internationally renowned cultural festivals such as England’s Glastonbury Festival, Nevada’s
Burning Man and China’s Snow and Ice Festival in Harbin, to name a few.
Sell
niche tourism areas separately
A World-Class High-Capacity
Multi-Disciplinary Medical City
- Imagine an entire
city dedicated to medicine, and filled with top-quality hospitals and
clinics.
- Every state
should have one. This will help people in every state get access to
quality medical treatment, as well as boost medical
tourism, which is already a growing phenomenon
with India being one of its largest beneficiaries.
- Priority for
treatment should be given to Indian citizens, but hospitals should be
allowed to set aside a percentage of beds for foreign medical tourists.
A World-Class Entertainment Capital - A
Special Administrative Region (SAR)
- India’s cities
are notoriously devoid of entertainment, stifled by paternalistic administrators
and politicians who find “fun” immoral and inappropriate and impose
arbitrary restrictions and bans on nightlife.
- As a consequence, a vast segment of tourists - fun lovers,
party lovers, and nightlife connoisseurs - give India a wide berth, preferring
to visit places such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao, etc.
- Even places such
as Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the far more socially conservative Middle East
have leapfrogged ahead of India and become elite entertainment
destinations.
- Every state
should have a world-class entertainment capital designated as a Special Administrative Zone (SAR) along the
lines of Hong Kong and Macao. These should be open 24/7
and modeled after top holiday destinations such as the ones just
mentioned.
A
World-Class National Park
- One
national park in each state must be brought up to world-class standards by
modelling it after national parks
such as, Jasper, Serengeti, etc.
- It
should be well-staffed with park rangers and have world-class facilities,
amenities, and infrastructure.
Build
great roads and access points
- It
would completely wrong on anyone’s part to simply say ‘Create better
infrastructure’. This is a very generic statement. But it is critical to
build good roads and approach points to a certain tourist destination.
- For
foreign and domestic tourists alike, a bumpy ride with potholes and a
punctured tire only to reach an exotic Indian destination is no good.
- Packaged
train travel, easy bus connections and safe car hire services with
knowledgeable personnel combines with great freeways and highways may
sound utopian but are critical features for an unmatched tourist
experience.
Secret Surveys and feedbacks
· Everybody
in the system must understand that they are watched and their jobs depend on
their performance.
·
If
they don’t perform, there will be an end to their career. This will ensure the
discipline and system will be followed accordingly. Surveys and feedbacks will
help maintaining this.
Moral of the STORY !!
The
Tourism industry in India is a very promising Industry and has potential to
become one of the leading employers of Indians. Professional management and
additional infrastructure and maintaining high standards are needed so that
TOURISTs can enjoy his visit to the fullest extent and we create EMPLOYMENT and
spur GROWTH !!
