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Launching of sightseeing packages for under privilege children from orphanages, exclusive website for rural destinations and co-branding of ‘Incredible India’ with Air India and Microsoft and tourist taxis with ‘Incredible India’ graphiti will be the features of World Tourism Day to be celebrated on 27th September of this month.
Indian tourism has been declared the fastest growing, at about 8%, by leading tourism organisations including World Tourism Organisation and World Tourism and Travel Council. In recent surveys and opinion polls by prominent forums like Conde Nast Travellers’ Forum and Lonely Planet, India has been placed amongst the top 5 favorite destinations.
Following are the few highlights of Indian tourism:
India ranks 5th among world’s tourist hot spots. According to Conde Nast Traveller (the journal often called Bible of Tourism) India has overtaken USA, France, Singapore and South Africa in the survey across 167 countries.
One of the India’s health spa, has been voted as the best spa of the world by the Readers of the Conde Nast Traveller.
World Tourism Organisation has declared Indian Tourism the fastest growing at about 8.8% annually.
WTTC has also declared India as one of the most potential destinations. Revenue from foreigners traveling to India is expected to reach to $ 24 billion by 2015.
Tourism is the 3rd highest foreign exchange earner for the country. More than Rs. 21,000 crore came through tourist arrivals in 2004. It shows 40% jump over the earning of previous year and 23% in tourist arrivals.
Tourism employs more than 6% of total workforce. The most significant contribution of the tourism is the creation of employment in rural areas by stimulating local art, handicrafts and folklore.
In 2003-04, estimated direct employment in tourism sector was 20.45 million and indirect 27.81 million, the total 48.26 million. By 2010, 25 million new jobs are expected in the sector.
According to CII – Mckinsey Report, medical tourism can bring up to Rs.10,000 crore by the year 2012 for the country. A task force has been constituted to promote India as major medical tourism destination.
India with its vast and beautiful coastline, virgin forests and undisturbed idyllic islands, long historical and cultural tradition of architecture, theatre and performing arts can be a fabulous tourist destination for western cruise tourists. Initiatives have been launched to attract cruises from world over. One of the leading cruise liners of the world is launching itself first time in Indian waters on this year.
57 villages are being developed to showcase rural life art culture and heritage.
‘Atithi Devo Bhava’, a social awareness campaign aimed at providing the in bound tourists with the sense of being welcomed in the country have been launched. More than 26000 taxi drivers, guides, restaurant owners and other persons related with the tourism industry have been trained in seven cities.
Travel and tourism, world over accounts for 11% the world’s GDP, 8% world’s employment and 9% of world’s investment, while in India its contribution to GDP is only 5.3% and in employment 5.6%. It shows there is lot of potential to use tourism as development tool.
On the World Tourism Day, the Speaker of Lok Sabha, Shri Somnath Chatterjee will inaugurate a Photographic Exhibition, ‘Incredible India – a Confluence of cultures’ at Art Lounge, Ashoka Hotel, New Delhi and ensemble of India Musical Instruments by ‘Saptakshara’ by Vinayakram and performance by other well-known artists will be held in the evening at Purana Quila, New Delhi.
Air India will now have ‘Incredible India’ brand displayed at the tail of its selected aircrafts and Indian tourism themes with music will be available at the Microsoft Window. Tourist taxis with ‘Incredible India’ graphiti will run on the roads of Metropolitan cities. These will be formally launched on the World Tourism Day. The Ministry had organized a photographic and essay competition to highlight the various aspects of tourism, winners will be awarded on the occasion.
NCJ/DT
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