No Retreat For Tourism

Rabindra Seth - New Delhi

The state of affairs in the aviation sector – absence of a national policy and the inordinate delay in privatisation of international airports – was top of the agenda of the Srinagar Retreat of WTTC, the World Travel and Tourism Council. Participants, numbering over 70, comprising industry leaders, members of Parliament, editors and experts were eager to hear from the new aviation minister, Rajiv Pratap Rudy what his plans were to get things moving. The minister however cancelled his visit at the last minute much to everyone’s disappointment. Planning Commission member N K Singh in his valedictory address said civil aviation had become a case "where vacillation has been invested with an aura of statesmanship". He added that four ministers and five secretaries, each one promising a new policy, have come and gone. The latest minister has set up yet another committee to draft the policy. He also referred to the demand made during the discussions for an open skies policy and said it would be more appropriate to think in terms of an ‘open-ended’ policy. And, for starters, the unutilised bilaterals could be given to the private carriers like Jet and Sahara. If necessary, such slots could be auctioned, he added. Privatisation of airports, the Planning Commission member said, had been talked about for a decade; it is sad that a unanimous decision taken by the Cabinet five years ago is still to be implemented.

N K Singh also had a word of advice for the department of tourism (DoT) which he said should gear itself up to meet the challenge of utilising the remaining Rs 2,500 crore allocation for the tenth plan in the next four years. He commended the Incredible India campaign but suggested that a more concerted restructuring of DoT’s promotional apparatus would be necessary to effectively reposition India in the overseas markets. To the industry leaders he pointed to the tax reliefs in the central budget as well as the concessions offered in some of the states. The industry should assess the impact of these sops on the competitiveness of the Indian package vis a vis our neighbours and other markets well in time for the next budget so that the finance ministry could consider if something more could be done for the sector. He showed special concern for the hotel industry’s debt burden which had been aggravated by the series of setbacks suffered by tourism. N K Singh also said that there is need for tourism to draw synergy from the various infrastructure projects launched by the government for general development, especially roads and ports. He said as much as Rs 100,000 crore is being invested on the Golden Quadrilateral, the North-South and East-West corridor and rural roads. The tourism industry should put its act together to get the maximum benefits from these investments.

An interesting presentation on the impact of tourism on the economies of the states was made by Jairam Ramesh, AICC secretary. He put his weight behind the idea of bringing tourism into the Concurrent List. The states need to be convinced, he said, that tourism cuts across state boundaries and the Centre alone can ensure massive funding required for its growth. As a concurrent subject the Centre will not only be able to provide resources but also the coordination that is essential for balanced regional growth. Not foreign exchange, he said, but the employment potential will bring the states round to the need for concurrent status for tourism.

WTTC’s decision to hold a Retreat in Srinagar, third in the series after Agra and Goa, earned praise from J&K chief minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed who said it would strengthen the signals emanating from the state of a return to normalcy. Affirming that tourism has a ‘bright tomorrow’ in Jammu & Kashmir, the chief minister said his government is keen to expand the infrastructure. Inviting investments he said, "We offer you a single window clearance." When he said he looked for guidance from WTTC, the council president Jean-Claude Baumgarten announced that J&K is now a partner state, an honour it will share with Kerala, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The Retreat, held in the first week of September, had as its venue Inter-Continental The Grand Palace overlooking the Dal Lake, once the abode of the maharaja and recently renovated and expanded by Lalit Suri of Bharat Hotels who now owns and manages the property. In his inaugural address, Dr Karan Singh supported Srinagar’s claim to be an international airport which he said "should attract direct flights from overseas". The Srinagar Retreat will be remembered for WTTC’s expression of solidarity with the cause of J&K tourism.