Boom in domestic tourism should be exploited
Friday, 18 October 2002, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: The Indian government and the travel and tourism industry must take steps to further exploit domestic tourism, that is "booming", as foreign tourist growth remains elusive, said an industry report Thursday. "Nations like China and Singapore have the bulk of their inbound traffic from their neighbors," according to the findings of a CEOs' Conclave organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Ministry of Tourism. The conclave felt there was need to focus on sustainable markets from the non-resident Indian community as also the domestic market. Gaj Singh, chairman of CII's national committee on tourism and heritage, said the tourism industry must strengthen efforts to developing new products and attractive packages, as also improve quality and service. "September 11 and the consequent developments in this part of the world have led to a rather prolonged interlude on the international tourism front," Singh told an industry seminar, while presenting the findings of CEOs' Conclave. "Domestic tourism is, however, booming. The government is joining hands with the private sector to embark on a more professional mode of marketing," he added. According to Singh, the industry focus should be tapping the outbound Indian middle class "who spend over a billion dollars in foreign markets". He said India's rich heritage should be linked tourism promotion activities in the country and private sector should be allowed to play a major role in heritage preservation in the country. "Documentation, mapping and listing of heritage sites and products should be undertaken and a national charter should be drafted on preservation of heritage products in different parts of the country. "A local body should be instituted to monitor the deployment of funds raised from the heritage sites towards community development. Towards this end, partnerships of private and government agencies and clear earmarking of their roles is required." Singh urged the government to allow all the states to market tourism products individually to domestic customers and target the affluent Indians. Referring to the travel warnings issued by some Western countries in June on fears of an India-Pakistan war, Singh said the government must set up a crisis management committee headed by the home minister. "India too should issue travel advisories to negate negative publicity," he said, adding non-government organizations should also be encouraged to take up the cause of tourism.
Source: IANS
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