The Hindu Business Line : Towards sustainable, culture-friendly tourism

It has been a challenging transformation: From being the land of the great Indian rope trick and snake charmers to one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world. The diverse and vibrant cultures, fast-growing infrastructure and eye-catching advertisement campaigns such as “God’s Own Country” and “Incredible India”, have fuelled the unprecedented growth of the sector.

According to the United Nation’s World Tourism Organisation, tourist footfalls across the globe are expected to have grown by 4 per cent during last year. The report for the early part of 2007 says that accelerated arrivals into Asia Pacific region have been primarily responsible for this growth. Visitors to the Asia Pacific region grew by 9 per cent; Africa by 8 per cent; West Asia by another eight per cent, Europe 6 per cent and the US by 4 per cent.

Powering ahead, the South Asia region grew by 12 per cent while India alone accounted for a 15 per cent growth in foreign tourist arrivals — estimated at 4.5 million. Reinforcing the importance of travel and tourism to the Indian economy, the UNWTO report pointed out that the sector accounted for 5.3 per cent of the country’s GDP, contributing $41.8 billion to the exchequer. Domestic visitors grew by an average 12 per cent annually to 382 million.

Challenges to arrivals

While soaring crude prices and ballooning travel costs are posing a formidable challenge to tourist arrivals worldwide, all has not been well for India’s tourism industry either.

Increasing number of atrocities against foreign tourists has been reported during the last tourist season. Such instances have been cited from Rajasthan, Delhi and even Mumbai.

Though the genesis of the problem can directly be traced to the social and cultural environment, it has strong economic logic and linkages as well.

As the tourist numbers swell, their interaction goes well beyond the confines of hotel corridors and tourist spots they frequent — extending to the local people and society, leaving a definite impact on the local environment and culture.

Often, the lavish lifestyles of the affluent tourists as also the tight budgets and more permissive culture of the less well-to-do have a strong effect on the resident population. As the number of foreign visitors and the money that they bring has begun to swell, the negative impact is also becoming more pervasive.

Peaks and troughs

The UNWTO figures are at a macro composite level, including tourist revenues from domestic and foreign visitors. According to the Economic Survey, foreign travel receipts under invisibles in the current account have grown handsomely by 16 per cent to $ 9.12 billion in 2006-07. This, however, remains a far cry from the 52 per cent growth registered in 2003-04.

Peaks and troughs in tourist arrivals are an inherent feature of the industry and are often inversely proportional to the magnitude of natural and man-made calamities, acts of terrorism or natural disasters in the region. Outbound visitors to foreign destinations have also shown an equally surging pace of growth. If foreign exchange expenditure can be taken as a proxy for the number of outbound visitors from India, it has also recorded significant growth in recent years.

NET RECEIPTS

This burgeoning outbound trend is causing some disturbance in net receipts under foreign travel. Though inbound travel numbers continue to grow beyond India’s outbound travellers, the trend could change in the not-too-distant future.

The net receipts from both inbound and outbound foreign travel shrunk from $6.5 billion in 2003-04 to $6.28 billion in 2004-5 and further to $5.4 billion in 2005-06. This asset in the invisibles account could soon turn into a liability if efforts are not made to encourage inbound tourists.

Increased tourist footfalls need not leave muddy footprints on India’s verdant landscape. There are ways and means to protect our environment, culture, way of life and, yet, ensure that tourist arrivals continue. We may be an attractive tourist destination but we are yet to learn and practice sustainable tourism.

The world over, responsible tourism has been showing the way forward, resulting in the least economic, social, cultural and environmental cost to the destination.

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