World Tourism Day and India’s status

World Tourism Day and India’s status

• Every year on September 27, people all over the world celebrate World Tourism Day. This year, it will take place in Bali, Indonesia.
• “Rethinking Tourism” is the theme for 2022.

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What are the Main Ideas?

• Since 1980, September 27 has been observed as World Tourism Day. This date was selected to fall on the anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Statutes in 1970, a significant turning point in global tourism.
• The UNWTO is a specialised agency of the UN tasked with promoting ethical, sustainable, and easily accessible travel.

Objectives:

• This day is meant to spread awareness and inspire people to travel. Because it thinks that tourism makes the world's population even more unified and connected
• Importance: The World Tourist Day acknowledges the special contribution made by the travel and tourism industry to the preservation of cultural and natural assets around the globe.
• It supports the preservation of habitat and threatened species.
• It discusses the significance of the tourism industry in supplying jobs and opportunities, primarily for women and young people, in both rural and urban areas.

Indian tourism scenario (Click the link for more deeper insight into the topic)

History of Tourism in India:

• Because of its storied wealth, India used to draw a lot of tourists. An illustration of this is the visit of devoted Chinese Buddhist Hieun-Tsang.
• Emperors like Ashoka and Harsha began constructing rest houses for pilgrims, which gave pilgrim travel a boost.
• The Arthashastra stresses the value of the state's transportation system, which was crucial in the past.
• Following independence, tourism has always been included in the Five Year Plans (FYP).
• After the sixth FYP, various types of tourism, including business tourism, health tourism, and wildlife tourism, were introduced in India.

Present Status:

• According to a report from the World Travel and Tourism Council in 2021, India's tourism industry ranked sixth in terms of its contribution to global gross domestic product (GDP), contributing USD 178.0 billion.
• India's tourist industry generated USD 6.96 billion in foreign exchange in 2020. Following the pandemic, an increase in this is anticipated.
• 39 million jobs, or 8.0% of all employment in India in FY20, were related to the tourist industry. It is anticipated to support around 53 million jobs by 2029.
• India ranks sixth in the world in terms of the number of sites on the "World Heritage List," with 40 (32 cultural, 7 natural, and 1 mixed site).
• The most recent ones are in Dholavira and Ramappa Temple (Telangana).

Recent Actions by the Government:

The Indian government has taken the following actions to address the issues:

• The Swadesh Darshan Scheme: To support the infrastructure development of 13 designated theme-based circuits, the Ministry of Tourism offers Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to State Governments and Union Territory Administrations.
• There are 13 circuits, including the North-East India Circuit, the Buddhist Circuit, the Himalayan Circuit, the Coastal Circuit, the Krishna Circuit, the Desert Circuit, the Tribal Circuit, the Eco Circuit, the Wildlife Circuit, the Rural Circuit, the Spiritual Circuit, the Ramayana Circuit, and the Heritage Circuit.
• Under the "National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive" (PRASHAD) Scheme, integrated development of designated pilgrimage places (including employment generation) has been conducted.
• For the development of diverse tourism attractions, the "Adopt a Heritage Project" intends to entrust heritage sites/monuments and other tourist destinations to private sector businesses, public sector businesses, and individuals.
• Paryatan Parv is being celebrated from September 16 to September 27 to encourage Indians to travel to tourist destinations in India.
• Amazing India website for marketing to and interacting with travellers.
• Online learning management system for training qualified workers to serve as tour guides.

Way ahead

• The current situation calls for the rapid growth of all types of infrastructure (physical, social, and digital).
• Tourist security is a top concern. For tourists, a formal guiding system may be introduced.
• To prevent tourist fraud, Indian residents should be encouraged to treat visitors kindly.
• To address the issue of seasonality, promote alternative forms of tourism such as medical tourism, adventure tourism, etc. Another option is to make a concession outside of season.

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