The current boost in Indian tourism that has broken all previous records in terms of overseas arrivals and foreign exchange is not satisfactory for Indian tourism industry. It is learnt that still India is way behind; even places like Macao registered 21.99 million tourists while Indian graph could barely touch 4.43 million in 2006.
However, we have witnessed growth of 14.2 per cent from 3.92 million as against the 2005 and foreign exchange earnings from tourism grew to $6.569 billion in 2006 but Indian share in global market is merely 0.52 percent.
According to the official data, an average tourist spends 26 days in India, the leisure tourists who arrive in India, those from the Far East stay for roughly six to eight days, the Dutch and the French stay for about 18-22 days, experts said.
India has a tough job ahead to increase its share in international market. In my perspective, still India has not even developed its one third tourism potential. India should invest in basic infrastructure in order to cater to the global demand.
Apart form this, recent incidents of brutal killings and sexual assault of foreign travelers has maligned Indian hospitality among international travelers. These malpractices have also exposed bad security concerns taken by Indian federal government. More worryingly, by now, government has not addressed the issue diligently. The union government should develop a joint mechanism with all states for ensuring the safety of the travelers. And a special emphasis is required in states like Bihar, Assam and J$K.
Via: Rediff
