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Swati Amar

Think creative, says Renuka Chowdhury, to keep tourists engaged. And train people in social skills such as courtesy and effective communication.

All roads lead to `Incredible India'," says Renuka Chowdhury, Union Minister of State for Tourism. "It's boom time for tourism in India, which is now the fifth most-favoured destination in the world, thanks to improved flight capacity, as well as the sustained `Incredible India' international campaign. The rising GDP and our secular credentials have also encouraged people to visit India. We are viewed as one of the safest destinations," she says.

Innovative strategies

Her ministry has outlined some innovative strategies to promote tourism. For instance, London taxis, trams in Amsterdam and Paris buses ply with `Incredible India' painted on them. The Tourism Department has forged partnerships with its foreign counterpart; foreign journalists have been invited to visit India. "We have organised road shows and are also finding out the difficulties faced by tour operators," she says.

For the first time the ministry has addressed medical tourism. Renuka points out that Indian doctors offer 36 per cent of the medical services in the US and UK. The credibility of medical education in India, English language skills and the sunny climate beckon patients from abroad. The contribution by private medical institutions and hospitals offering state-of-the-art facilities have helped benchmark medical services in the country.

Nearly 60,000 patients have visited India for hip and knee replacement surgery, bypass surgery, cosmetic and other surgery during the last four years.

A taskforce comprising the tourism ministry, health ministry and the CII has been constituted to promote medical tourism. This is expected to give a fillip to both Indian indigenous medical systems and allopathy. Hospitals are being accredited to enable categorisation.

Addressing basic issues

While India is known for its monuments and historical sites, their deplorable state is a matter for concern. The tourism ministry works in tandem with the Culture Ministry and the Archaeological Survey of India, which are responsible for the maintenance of historical monuments. Renuka moots public-private partnerships. "Corporates should help maintain important tourist sites. We have so many monuments, there's never going to be enough money to maintain all of them. Instead of defacing monuments, citizens should form voluntary groups to police and look after them."

The concept of `tourism police' — a boon to tourists, particularly women — is receiving a major thrust. The idea is to sensitise the police to problems faced by tourists, guide them to their destination, assist them when there is loss of passport or money, and ensure safety at tourist spots. Tourism police is also expected to deter harassment of women tourists, especially foreigners.

"Sometimes people from other countries come with different dress codes, not anticipating the orthodoxy prevalent here, which can be quite challenging and frightening to some tourists," she says.

The minister also plans to encourage high-end tourism that has the potential to contribute substantially to the economy.

Think local, too

The true potential of domestic tourism is yet to be recognised, says Renuka. "We do not take into account the traffic during marriage seasons, festivals, and visits to friends and relatives during the slack season. I would like to pamper domestic tourism because these are our people. In two years, India will complete 60 years of Independence. For `Shashti Poorti India' we are drawing up special plans for domestic tourism," she says.

The tourism ministry wants to upgrade all facilities, including toilets, hygienically prepared food and clean wayside amenities. "Let us approach this creatively. There are many people with good homes who can generate income by offering bed and breakfast, similar to what they have in Ireland, Scotland and other countries. It also reduces the pressure on hotels, which are difficult to run during the off-season. Star hotels are a necessity today, because India is not only a destination for tourists but also for patients and their families who stay for long durations. Apart from that, India is a `mind-destination', as we have people coming for meetings, exhibitions and conferences throughout the year."

Affordable air travel

Reduced domestic airfare would spur domestic tourism, she feels. She is canvassing for lowering the price of aircraft fuel, which is taxed by State Governments, to help bring down airfare. About 49 lakh Indians travel outside the country because it's cheaper to fly to countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Bangkok, compared to domestic air travel . The minister has words of appreciation for Air Deccan, which offered a no-frill, small airline option at the right time. "They are not competing with other airlines, but they are competing with the Railways. People willing to travel second class AC in a train can now fly Air Deccan in half the time. Small airlines will lead to increase in air traffic tremendously."

Employment galore

Tourism is the largest engine of change with a vast potential for employment opportunities. "We employ more people than the agricultural and industrial sector. Tourism is not meant for a privileged few, unlike the IT sector. Opportunities for women are aplenty. In Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh, women make paper cups, which are sold to tourist sites all over the country. To improve wayside amenities, we are training women to prepare hygienic food. Self-help groups have empowered women and we want to dovetail that with the tourism experience. We are also opening souvenir kiosks," she says.

The tourism ministry has outlined a training programme for about 26,000 people involved with tourism. Taxi drivers, tourist guides, petrol station personnel on highways, and even immigration officers are trained for skills such as courtesy, etiquette, effective communication and hygienic service. On completion of training, they will sport a logo, `Athithi devo bhava,' which would help foreigners identify genuine tourist personnel. The training programme, currently on in Delhi, will soon spread to other centres.

Picture by Ramesh Sharma

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