Unleash the sleeping giant

Recent figures published by the ministry of tourism, Government of India, tell a tale. About 10.04 million foreign tourists arrived in India in 2017, whereas the total number of foreign tourist arrivals world over was 1,323 million.  

In other words, India’s share of global international tourism is less than one per cent. For a country so vast, diverse, and with so much to offer – from history to culture to cuisine – this is abysmally low.  

It goes without saying that active measures to increase our share of the global tourism pie are urgently needed. A two-fold approach to this could be, first, increase global awareness about the richness of Indian heritage, with specific emphasis on different sites that would interest tourists with diverse interests; second, provide better accessibility – from easing of the visa process to better connectivity, amenities, and safety at various destinations.   

Simultaneously, a planned strategy to harness the vast potential of domestic tourism would yield dividends disproportionately higher than the efforts required.  

Rising income levels resulting in higher disposable incomes has led to an increase in domestic tourist traffic over the past decade. Interestingly, the total number of domestic tourist arrivals was pegged by the Ministry of Tourism at 1,652.49 million in 2017 – which is more than the total number of foreign tourist arrivals across the world. This means that our demographic advantage enables us to ensure huge tourist numbers, domestically itself.

But, there is also a catch, which lies in the skewed distribution of this tourist traffic. The bulk of this traffic – foreign and domestic – in India is limited to a few well-known destinations and sites.   

As per reports, the average footfall of Taj Mahal is about 70,000 a day, and talk of conservation concerns cause this to be restricted to 40,000! Even at restricted numbers, it would result in approximately 1.5 crore visitors per year.  

Compare this to another world heritage site, Hampi, which receives a paltry 5 lakh visitors per year. This skewed distribution results in excessive – often unmanageable — pressure on a few sites, while a vast majority of others go unexplored, their potential under-exploited.  

This also results in an uneven distribution of tourism revenues. Admittedly, the examples cited are at extreme ends of the spectrum, yet they clearly illustrate the opportunity for exploiting the potential of lesser-known attractions for both domestic and international tourism.  

Just like Hampi, our country is dotted with culturally and historically significant sites that are hardly known or spoken of – and as a result receive very few tourists.  

Breathtakingly beautiful step-wells like Chand Baoli in Rajasthan, the Harappan port at Lothal and the excavation site at Dhola Veera are some that come to mind immediately.  

Identifying these hidden treasures and bringing them on the tourist map will encourage people to visit them, taking some pressure off the other sites.

This will have the spin-off benefits of creating jobs and boosting local economy in these areas. It will also bring our younger generations visiting these sites into closer contact with our ancient heritage, helping them appreciate the diversity of our own civilisation.  

Many such sites and monuments are mentioned in children’s textbooks, and being able to actually visit them will act as a live history lesson for them.

The road map for implementing this is not very difficult. The process can begin with each state identifying such sites and prioritising access to them in their connectivity plans.  

Airports identified under the UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) scheme can serve as connectivity hubs for these sites. States can also provide incentives for setting up suitable hospitality infrastructure around these hubs.  

Where possible, these hubs can be dovetailed into the existing tourist corridors, and new corridors can be planned connecting others. The Ministry of Tourism can take the initiative in building awareness about the identified sites, both domestically and overseas.  

States can also coordinate with academia and the Tourism Sector Skill Council to train tourist guides, who can make the visits more informative and interesting.  

The sites also need to be made more people-friendly with basic amenities such as accessibility for the differently-abled and drinking water.  

Public private partnership (PPP) along the lines of ‘Adopt A Heritage’ initiative of the tourism ministry can be replicated to encourage corporate partners to pitch in. Heritage homes close to these areas can be converted into resorts, helping in their conservation while providing an unforgettable experience to tourists.

Creating these new tourism hubs will help in attracting more tourists, and in better distribution of tourist traffic. The economic benefits of tourism can also be better distributed, instead of remaining concentrated in a few pockets within the existing corridors.

The possibilities are endless. Tourism is a sleeping giant – a bottled genie that has the power to provide millions of jobs and boost our economy. All we need is a well thought-out, coordinated plan to unleash this genie.  

Author is chairperson, Bird Group