Reviewing India

By Rohit Kohli
Secretary, PATA

Tourism in India has been especially influenced because of three prominent factors. First, India is now perceived as a relatively safe destination as in the past few years we have not had any problems that has normally affected tourism or will in the near future. Secondly, the hugely successful Incredible India campaign by the Ministry of Tourism has probably produced the best results ever in the history of India. And thirdly, India used to be a value-for-money destination.

Unfortunately, the last factor, which is exceptionally important, is in fact inversely true now. It has to be said that India has greatly out-priced itself. If corrective steps are not taken now, we would be heading down all over again. It is quite difficult to understand as to why this is done every few years. At this time it is essential for the industry to get together and truly work as a team.

The government agencies have successfully tackled the marketing problem. But the next big burning issue is the lack of infrastructure. Starting with lack of hotel rooms across all categories, quality transport all over the country, adequately qualified guides, aviation infrastructure and most importantly coherent attention from top leadership who are the real policy framers.

In the world of tourism, India has emerged as one of the most popular destinations and also as one of the most sought-after source markets for outbound tourism. Regionally, India plays the most important role in tourism. All that needs to be done is strictly observe the attention India is getting from the Asian countries. Thus, global airline companies literally lining up for rights to fly into India is a proof of the growth the country is seeing. With the economies of most of the free world doing better than before, disposable income has risen making tourism a great beneficiary. The common man in Europe and North America can now afford to travel to India; the well-heeled are giving India a re-look and are discovering more than ever.

In the coming years, with the increased tolerance levels of people towards danger perceptions, incidents around the world will influence travel decisions less than what they used to in the past. Challenges for the future are very clearly marked and in most cases, involve confronting the perennial environmental challenges and the impact they can have on tourism. The grim human resource situation is another worrying factor and only the most informed will succeed.