Like a sinking person suddenly woken from stupor, the Indian tourism ministry and Indian government seem to have woken up to the importance of tourism. India has deprived itself, through lack of conscious efforts, to make billions out of tourism unlike other tourism majors. And today it gets less than one percent of world tourist traffic.
So the Tourism ministry has a rescue plan. Create a mini Vegas in India to attract foreigners and affluent Indians. But isn’t that a very feeble attempt?
We need to think of other ways to promote tourism. Like promote how India is a great destination for Medical Tourism. That one in twenty docs in US is of Indian origins and hence Americans can trust their Indian counterparts.
Are we tom tomming about our education systems like the IIT and IIMs?
Are we telling people that we can offer them the experience of Switzerland and Africa in the same country?
Are we taking care of basic infrastructure like hotel rooms to accommodate tourists?
Are we encouraging and educating people about the prospects of tourism in India. Are we telling people how it will impact our GDP and help us fight inflation and bring down the fiscal deficit?
Are we seeing the big picture?
I guess not…Shocking!
loiswakeman
How sad that a country with such a rich and interesting heritage and varied culture wants to have a Vegas style resort as the main incentive to visit! See the world but feel as if you are still at home...
But perhaps I would not be the average (and money-spending) tourist they wish to attract?
How about promoting ethical tourism to give poorer people direct access to tourist dollars, rather than keeping it in the hands of corporations?
(There has been coverage in the UK recently questioning why the UK still gives more aid to India than anywhere else, even though it has a booming economy growing faster than our own. Others reply that there are more desperately poor people in India than anywhere else of course: but I wonder why, apparently, is so little done by those who do have plenty of money? I'd be interested to hear your own perspective on this - I don't imagine we get the full picture here.)