Working hand in hand to showcase India

Source– The post is based on the article “Working hand in hand to showcase India” published in The Hindu on 25th January 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Government policies and interventions

Relevance– Tourism sector

News– The article explains the steps taken by the Ministry of Tourism to promote coordination among various ministries. It also explains the draft tourism policy 2022 and tourism potential of our country.

The Ministry of Tourism has declared “Visit India Year 2023” for promoting various tourism products and destinations to increase India’s share in the global tourism market.

How is the Ministry of tourism prompting coordination between different ministries to boost tourism in the country?

Over the last eight years, the Ministry of Tourism has prioritised the task of inter-ministerial cooperation and coordination. It is breaking down silos.

Today, the Ministry of Tourism coordinates its work effectively with over 20 central government Ministries in the promotion and the development of tourism in the country.

In October 2022, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Home Affairs organised the National Conference on Tourist Policy Aimed at working with the police and sensitising them on addressing the needs of foreign and domestic tourists.

In partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Tourism Ministry has begun establishing ‘Yuva Tourism’ clubs to nurture young ambassadors of Indian tourism.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is aiming to make India an attractive cruise tourism destination using state-of-the-art infrastructure.

In partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, tourism officers have been placed in 20 Indian missions in countries that contribute to some of the highest foreign tourist arrivals in India. Their role includes facilitating and providing inputs for country-specific sensibilities and having them reflected in tourism products.

Steps are being taken in collaboration with the Ministry of Roadways and the Petroleum Ministry to ensure that highways and fuel stations have clean sanitation infrastructure.

The Ministry of Tourism is also funding several commercial flight routes in partnership with the Ministry of Civil Aviation to make them viable.

What are some facts about the new draft National Tourism Policy 2022?

It aims to formalise the work coordination through structures and institutions.

The policy has been formulated after situational analysis including the impact of COVID-19. It takes into account future projections for the tourism sector with a vision for India@100.

One of the ideas includes an institutional structure that can take concurrent and coordinated action across the Union, State and local government levels in partnership with industry.

What is the tourism potential of India?

Data show that domestic tourism has recovered to pre-pandemic levels. This is evident in a record 1.84 crore domestic tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir in 2022. Similarly, foreign tourist arrivals are expected to reach pre-pandemic levels.

India has always been a popular destination for travellers exploring spiritual enlightenment and self-discovery.

For centuries many great foreign travellers have visited India and shared their experiences in the form of memoirs, travelogues, poetry and books. Some of them are Megasthenes, Hiuen-Tsang, Marco Polo.

India is the birthplace to four major world religions– Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism.