India should look at strategically marketing alternative tourism products in various States, create quality accommodation across all categories through out the country, develop tourism circuits on a hub-and-spoke model and enhance air connectivity to make the country a year around tourist destination.

A new joint study undertaken by FICCI and Yes Bank has made these suggestions as part of a 10-point road map to make India a 365-day tourism destination.

The study suggests that Andhra Pradesh can look at developing port and tribal tourism, Tamil Nadu can look at rural and cultural tourism, Kerala can look at developing wellness tourism while Karnataka can look at developing shopping festival and caravan tourism as alternative tourism products.

The study has mooted the idea of State tourism department hotels, which are not doing well, being leased to the private sector on a long-term basis as has been done by Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.

The study points out that the trend of regional disparity in development of tourism infrastructure through public-private partnership needs to be addressed.

Commenting on enhancing air connectivity, the study states that some States like Kerala which has great tourism potential but limited international connectivity can witness a major upsurge in international tourists if international connectivity is improved.

The study has also suggested the establishment of a Sector Skills Council through a partnership between industry, academic and government to address the issue of enhancing productivity of workforce employed in the sector.

The study indicates that an Indian Hotel Survey points out that Indian hotels continue to remain inefficient in their manpower utilisation.

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