Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 3 said that there was a growing attraction among foreign visitors to India.
He pointed out that over 8 lakh foreign tourists visited the country this January. In January 2022, he said two lakh tourists had visited India.
Addressing the post-budget webinar on ‘Developing Tourism on Mission Mode’, the PM compared the average spending of a tourist in Australia (USD 5000), in the US (USD 2500) and India (only USD 1700), PM Modi said the industry players should think ‘out of the box’.
He said there is a need for long-term planning to give a new height to the tourism sector in the country.
PM Modi mentioned the abundant scope of tourism in India and listed out coastal, beach, mangrove, Himalayan, adventure, wildlife, eco, heritage, spiritual, wedding destinations and sports tourism.
PM Modi gave the example of the Ramayan Circuit, Buddha Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Northeast Circuit, Gandhi Circuit, and pilgrimages of all saints and stressed the need to work together collectively on this.
PM informed that several places in India had been identified through the route of competitive spirit and challenge in this year’s Budget while also focussing on the holistic development of the destinations. PM Modi asked for a detailed discussion on how different stakeholders can be engaged.
He sought to bust the myth that tourism is a fancy word associated only with the high-income groups of the country. He noted that the Yatras has been a part of India’s cultural and social life for centuries, and people used to go on pilgrimages even when no resources were available.
He gave the example of Char Dham Yatra, Dwadash Jyotirling Yatra, 51 Shaktipeeth Yatra and said that it is used to connect the places of faith while also strengthening the unity of the country.
“We have to boost infrastructures by ensuring active public-private partnership. If we improve things, people will be able to organise seminars and conferences in such places. This will promote the hospitality industry also and in the process the entire ecosystem can develop,” the Prime Minister said.
He said for certain places; initially, there could be challenges. For such destinations, student tours and important meetings could be organised to start with.
Observing that the entire economy of many big cities of the country was dependent on Yatras, PM Modi lamented the lack of development to enhance facilities suited to the times despite the age-old tradition of such travels. He pointed out that years of slavery and the political neglect of these places in the decades after independence were the root cause that inflicted damage to the country.
“The India of today is changing this situation”, he underlined. He gave the example of Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi and informed that as against 80 lakh people who used to visit the temple in a year before it was rebuilt, but the tourist footfall crossed seven crores last year after the renovation.
Highlighting that tourism has always been part of India’s social and cultural civilisation, PM Modi said if the country develops more facilities, it will increase tourist footfall. He also said tourists are attracted when there is the ease of travelling, and Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi and Kedarnath Dham are live models.
PM Modi said civil amenities, digital connectivity, cleanliness and better infrastructure would help boost tourism, adding that increased tourist footfall will encourage a huge potential for employment opportunities.
He also said that remote villages are now coming up on the tourism map due to their improving infrastructure. He informed that the Central Government had started the Vibrant Village Scheme for the villages situated along the border and emphasised the need to support businesses, including homestays, small hotels and restaurants.
He insisted on developing 50 such tourist destinations that every tourist from around the globe is bound to visit on his trip to India.
He also mentioned developing apps for tourist destinations in all languages listed in the United Nations. PM Modi said all languages should be incorporated while designing the content for tourism and asked to modernise tourists apps and digital connectivity further. He said it should be available in all UN languages and Indian languages.
He highlighted the basic challenge of the tourism sector and pointed out the lack of professional tourist guides.
The PM also mentioned the Kankaria lake project in Ahmedabad, Gujarat and informed that skill development for those working in the food stalls was carried out apart from the redevelopment of the lake. He emphasised on cleanliness along with modern infrastructure and informed that about 10,000 people visit the place every day despite the applicable entry fees.
“Every tourist destination can also develop its own revenue model”, PM Modi said.
