Coordination of Ministries in boosting Tourism

Why in news?

Government of India ministry other than the Tourism Ministry is taking initiatives to showcase India’s rich heritage using a ‘whole of government’ approach.

How about the picture of tourism in India?

• For centuries many great foreign travellers have visited India and shared their experiences, as Megasthenes, Hiuen-Tsang, Marco Polo, and Fa-Hien have shown.
• As the birthplace to four major world religions, i.e., Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism, India can truly claim to be the world’s spiritual beacon.
• Tourism happens to be one of the biggest foreign exchange earners for India.
• India ranks 54th in the global Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) in 2021.

What about the inter-ministerial cooperation made so far?

• The Ministry of Tourism coordinates its work effectively with over 20 central government Ministries in the promotion of tourism in India.

What is the new draft National Tourism Policy 2022 about?

• Vision - The vision of the policy is to transform our tourist destinations to provide world class visitor experience making India one of the topmost destinations for sustainable and responsible tourism.
• Aim - The draft policy aims at improving framework conditions for tourism development, supporting tourism industries, strengthening tourism support functions and developing tourism sub-sectors.
• The policy has been formulated taking into account future projections for the tourism sector with a vision for India@100.
• It is architected around 6 key guiding principles, 5 national tourism missions and 8 strategic pillars.
• Key Guiding Principles
  1. To promote sustainable, responsible and inclusive tourism
  2. To promote digitalization, innovation and technology in tourism sector
  3. To follow a whole of Government approach
  4. Private sector led growth
  5. To promote Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
  6. To follow a destination centric and tourist centric approach

• National Tourism Missions
  1. National Green Tourism Mission
  2. National Digital Tourism Mission
  3. Sectoral Mission on Skill Development
  4. National Mission on Destination Management
  5. National Mission on Tourism MSMEs

The Ministry of Tourism declaration of “Visit India Year 2023” aims to promote various tourism products and destinations to increase India’s share in the global tourism market.

References

1. The Hindu | Working hand in hand to showcase India
2. Livemint | Proposed tourism policy
3. Ministry of Tourism | Draft National Tourism Policy 2022