Discuss strategies to promote the tourism industry in India
Discuss strategies to promote the tourism industry in India
Introduction
India is a fascinating country in many ways. Each part of the country has a different story to tell. As Indians, we can never claim to know all corners of our country well enough. There is always a new place to discover, and enjoy.
Different types of interest groups
The current state of India tourism is not in very good shape. If our goal is to attract more foreign tourists, we have to essentially work on improving the infrastructure and facilities. Even in a metro city like Bangalore, public toilets are woefully short and ill maintained. Tourist destinations that are a little away from the city are even worse. The roads in several places are not tarred, and are filled with potholes, and uncomfortable bumps. Off-beat destinations should also be ramped up with better roads.
Traffic management is another major grouse that most citizens have. With all the time wasted in sitting in traffic jams, tourists are forced to cut short their itinerary. These improvements will not only benefit the tourism sector, but the entire country, and the economy on the whole. It will be win-win situation for everyone.
Another very important aspect that has to be improved is the state of security. It is extremely unsafe for women travelers, especially women who travel alone. While looking at promoting exotic or adventure tourism, it is equally important to better the security system in these locations.
One thing that the government is doing in small measures now (and should focus more on), is to promote specific areas of tourism. For instance, medical tourism; the government is encouraging tourists to avail of the cheaper medical facilities in India. Likewise, the government should target specific markets, such as spiritual tourism, adventure tourism, history/heritage tourism, cultural tourism (the Natyanjalis, Chennai music season, Khajurao dance festival) wellness tourism (ayurvedic treatments) etc.
Other forms of promotion include taking groups of artistes abroad, and conducting promotional shows, in order to increase awareness in Indian culture and tourism. Apart from this, the government should also focus on promoting tourism in smaller towns and villages, albeit taking care to retain the ecological balance. The government should also employ more trained multi-lingual guides to escort tourists around places of interest.
Conclusion
Brand India has a big name among the western countries. We must do our job well in making sure we are able to capitalize on the exotica, and win more tourists.
Discussion
- Discuss strategies to promote the tourism industry in India -Usha Iyengar (03/27/14)
Discuss the strategies to promote tourism industry in India.
The Government has ambitious plans to achieve the following landmarks:
• Attain the level of 11.24 million Foreign Tourist Arrivals by 2016.
• Attain the level of 1450 million Domestic Tourist Visits by 2016.
• Positioning and maintaining tourism development as a national priority activity
A number of things can be done to improve tourism; primarily for international travel, the government will have to create an image of a clean and safe country. Further the facilities and infrastructure has to be greatly improved to make travel easy and make travel a fun experience. There has to be greater awareness amongst people that we need to treat guests to our country better through the media campaigns and deterrents like strict implementable policies. We should promote the culture of hospitality within the country and dissuade parochial attitudes. Another aspect is to streamline facilitation procedures at airports and extend it throughout all the tourist touch points. The government needs to advertise more for the local festivals, the native fairs, the local cuisines in the local papers and the radio stations to draw large people from close by areas. Nationally, we need to implement Campaign Clean India and improve sanitation which is very critical while “on the go”.
Indian Tax policy allows for all resident Indians to claim tax benefits under the Leave Travel Allowance which allows all salaried employees to travel with family. This policy allows for tax deductions which works like an incentive and a measure to promote work-life balance.
We could look segregating attractions including beautiful beaches, forests and wild life and landscapes for eco-tourism, snow, river and mountain peaks for adventure tourism, technological parks and science museums for science tourism; centers of pilgrimage for spiritual tourism; heritage trains and hotels for heritage tourism. Yoga, ayurveda and natural health resorts also attract tourists.
Segmenting the market to cater to different kinds of people, say for example- winter sports, wildlife and beach resorts which are more popular with a young clientele and spiritual tourism which is a hit with older people. Medical tourism has also taken off in a big way, since quality medical care with excellent quality of medical care with qualified doctors is a very promising trend. Using technology to reach a wider base will make tourism a more profitable business.
