National Tourism Day & Tourism In India

• Every year on January 25, the nation observes National Tourism Day to recognize India's beauty and raise awareness of the value of tourism and its effects on the nation's economy.
• Under the auspices of "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav," a 75-week long grand festival to honor 75 years of India's independence, the Ministry of Tourism is commemorating National Tourism Day.
• Ecotourism, cruises, business, sports, educational, rural, and medical travel are just a few of the different types of tourism offered by India.
• National Tourism Day 2023 does not yet have a theme. However, like in previous years, the subject will centre on promoting tourism in India. Rural and community-focused tourism served as the theme for National Tourism Day 2022.
• Village of Pochampally in Telangana: The primary event is being organized by the federal government in the Telangana village of Pochampally, a weavers' hamlet outside of Hyderabad.
• Pochampally, which is well-known for its hand-woven Ikat sarees, was chosen as one of the top tourist destinations by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 2021.

The Indian tourism industry:

• The largest service sector in India in 2018 was travel and tourism, which was valued at $234 billion.
• The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates that the Indian tourism sector contributed $194 billion, or 6.8% of India's GDP, to the country's GDP in 2019.
• In India, the tourist industry is expected to increase at an average annual rate of 6.9% to $460 billion by 2028, or 9.9% of GDP.
• In terms of the total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in 2021, India is ranked sixth by the World Travel and Tourism Council.
• In 2021, the travel and tourism industry generated 32.1 million employment, or 6.9% of all jobs, contributing 5.8% to GDP.

Tourism in India:

• The Himalayan state of Sikkim was determined to be the most organic state in contemporary India. Approximately 47.3% of the state is said to be covered in forests.
• India's North Sentinel Island is one of the planet's unspoiled locales. The Sentinelese people live on the island and have cut themselves off from the outside world.
• There are 566 wildlife sanctuaries in the nation as a whole. The biggest wildlife refuge in the nation is located in Rajasthan, at Ranthambore National Park.
• Mawlynnong, in the Indian state of Meghalaya, is considered to be the cleanest village in Asia.

Issues / Problems:

• Lack of Training and Skill Development: It is evident that practical training is crucial because the tourist industry is a labor-intensive one.
• However, the expansion of India's tourist industry has not kept up with the supply of trained labour over the years.
• Overexploitation of Resources: Unsustainable tourism frequently overuses natural resources, especially in India's Himalayan regions where resources are already in short supply.
• Unsustainable tourism has an impact on the local environment as well, leading to soil erosion, increasing pollution, and the loss of natural habitats for endangered species.
• Fear of Uncertainty: Because of the coronavirus's proliferation and the enforcement of social distance rules, people are afraid and reluctant to leave their homes.
• International travel was prohibited in most nations to stop the coronavirus from spreading, thus there weren't any foreign visitors. As a result, the Indian tourism industry saw fewer visitors than in the past and generated no foreign exchange revenues.
• Loss of revenue during COVID-19: People aren't prepared to leave their homes and aren't interested in taking excursions. The Indian tourism industry forecasted a revenue loss of Rs. 1.25 trillion due to the closure of tourist locations, monuments, and heritage sites, and the lack of visitor arrival.

How can India promote sustainable tourism?

• Responsible, inclusive, environmentally friendly, and hospitable tourism All parties participating in tourist management need to be subject to the same set of rules in order to ensure better accountability.
• In order for warm hospitality to flourish, it is crucial to promote green tourism that causes little disruption to the natural ecosystem and maintain sustainable infrastructure.
• Integrated Travel System: To determine popular tourism sites around the nation as well as key markets and segments, a thorough market research and evaluation exercise can be conducted.
• A digital unified system that promotes the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat can then be created to map these locations and advertise them on social media.

Governmental programs:

• National Conference on Tourist Police: The Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Home Affairs organised the National Conference on Tourist Police in October 2022 to develop tourist-specific policing, with the goal of collaborating with the police and educating them on how to address the needs of both domestic and foreign tourists.
• To foster young ambassadors for Indian tourism, the Tourism Ministry has started developing "Yuva Tourism" clubs in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
• The announcement of "Visit India Year 2023" by the Ministry of Tourist intends to boost India's market share in the international tourism industry by promoting a variety of travel-related goods and locations.

Way Forward

• Players in the tourism industry would need to reconsider new business models, and innovation and virtual approaches would need to be put into practise.
• Tourism's ability to bounce back and revitalize domestic travel while maintaining cleanliness and safety at tour stops. The emphasis is on promoting domestic tourism because the revival of foreign tourist will take some time.
• Along with taking hygienic and safety precautions, travelers need to alter their travel habits.
• Every government must implement lockdown measures like social seclusion, mandatory masks, and the like in addition to removing travel limitations with the correct medication and better immunity capability.