New Delhi, Jan 24: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Friday said that in order to tap the potential of tourism sector and generate employment-intensive growth, customised interventions for capacity building is needed, like developing lesser-known tourist destinations.
The apex industry body suggested an eight-point agenda for promoting tourism, some of which can be actioned in the forthcoming Union Budget.
"First, is to expedite the promulgation of a National Tourism Policy 2022. The draft policy, prepared after extensive stakeholder consultations, provides a framework for engagement with various ministries, state governments and other stakeholders in giving effect to the policy objective of achieving tourism GDP of $1 trillion by 2047," the CII said n a statement.
Second, the government should consider creating an Inter-ministerial group headed by Cabinet Secretary or PMO, which could coordinate with various central Ministries and State Government, to step up tourism in the country.
"Third, new lesser-known tourist destinations should be developed. Government has earlier announced the development of 50 new tourist destinations. Given the huge tourism potential of India, this intervention should be scaled up to developing 200 new tourist destinations, in a time bound manner," according to the industry body.
According to Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, with strategic interventions, the tourism sector can become a key driver of economic growth through its immense multiplier effect and create jobs in the process.
The fourth agenda could be availability of adequate supply of accommodation across geographies and categories is important for boosting tourism.
Currently, three-star or higher category classified hotels located outside cities with population of more than 1 million have been granted infrastructure status. The grant of infrastructure status to the hotel sector should be delinked from geographical or population criteria.
"Fifth, steps should be taken to include tourism in the concurrent list, to elevate the sector on the national agenda and to enable the Centre and States to effectively legislate and work together on the sector," according to the statement.
Sixth, deemed export status should be provided to foreign exchange earnings accrued from foreign tourists and GST should be exempted from such earnings to boost the sector's competitiveness and growth.
"Seventh, given the success of the Incredible India Campaign the government should announce the Incredible India 3.0 or Atulya Bharat campaign. The campaign should include the launch of a national and international multi-channel marketing campaign, showcasing India's diverse tourist attractions, in collaboration with industry to promote inbound and domestic tourism," according to the CII statement.
Finally, perception and confidence vis-a-vis tourist safety is an important component of tourism promotion.
To address this, the government should consider launching Mission Suraksha by assigning dedicated Tourist Police and round-the-clock security at major tourist destinations. Further, Crisis Management plans should be framed to handle emergencies, thereby ensuring tourists' safety and trust, the CII noted.
