Domestic tourism surges ahead

By Mukesh Jagga
President, Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI)

India is a country with a diverse culture. This is the land where once the word tourism was synonymous with pilgrimage tours. Today, however, the scenario has changed. With improved transportation by road, rail and air, people are now taking to leisure and other forms of tourism. With improved information technology reaching all nooks and corners of the country, people are now travelling within the country more frequently - be it for pilgrimage, leisure or business purposes. The Indian Railways are playing a vital role in promoting tourism with its vast network across the country. Modernisation of tracks and introduction of more local and luxury trains every year connecting important destinations, has provided a cushion to the travelling public, offering attractive rail packages to travellers covering tourist and pilgrim circuits. Similarly, the government's open skies policy has created many LCC carriers, making air travel affordable to middle class tourists. Thus, the future of tourist traffic in the country is all set to grow further.

It has been a very encouraging year for the travel industry. The country is witnessing an all-round increase in tourist traffic, be it inbound, outbound or the phenomenal increase in the domestic segment. All the players have been reaping the bumper harvest with the current boom in the industry. Encouraged by the trend, both the central and state governments have been pro-active in their promotional efforts to showcase their market and various tourism products to the tourists. Leisure and MICE are the two segments that have been catching up in the recent past. LCCs, travel portals, improved infrastructure, etc. have all added up to the present tourist boom in the country.

Dissemination of countrywide tourist information on the tourist potential of Indian states is the need of the hour today. Lack of information on the tourist centres of different states hampers the growth of domestic tourism to a great extent. The India@60 organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry along with the ministry of tourism, government of India as the coordinating ministry, which recently concluded in New York and was telecast on television, was a magnificent show, showcasing Incredible India - which should be extended to the Indian market for the benefit of countrymen who form the biggest force in the domestic tourism circuit, to fuel the Indian economy. Both central and state tourism authorities should therefore undertake publicity campaigns similar to 'Incredible India', frequently showcasing the products available in different states through media/road shows, etc.

Today there are more than 500 million domestic tourists travelling on pilgrimage, leisure and business tours across the country. The tourism industry in India is witnessing an unprecedented growth due to very favourable socio-economic conditions. The tourism industry in India is at present heavily taxed in comparison to other countries, which adds up to the cost of travelling. Governments both at the central and state levels should consider rationalising the tax structure. The government should take steps to improve infrastructure facilities by building better roads, improving basic amenities like eateries, and toilets, etc. enroute tourist destinations in various states.

Seeing the tremendous growth of tourism in states like Rajasthan, Goa, Kerala, and Himachal Pradesh; whose marketing strategies have made their tourism products the most sought after for domestic tourists, other states should also implement similar strategies to promote and sell their products to people from other parts of the country. With growing disposable incomes, people are now travelling more frequently and are exploring new destinations. Travel .com companies are providing the required online assistance to meet tourists needs like airline ticketing, hotel bookings, tour packages, etc. - all at very competitive rates. The states should therefore take advantage of the current industry trends, and promote their products to the maximum extent possible.

Some of the measures that can be considered are:

• Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh attract large number of tourists due to their pilgrim centres. Both Central/state governments, with the support of the industry should chalk out plans to combine pilgrim with leisure tourism to attract a part of the pilgrim tourists to leisure tourism as well, thus enabling them to visit other tourist destinations in close proximity to the pilgrim centres.
• Governments may consider giving incentives like tax rebate similar to savings like LIC, NSC, PPF to the travelling public to avail of domestic tour packages so as to encourage travelling within the country. This will to some extent discourage countrymen from going abroad for holidays, thereby arresting the outflow of foreign exchange. By giving incentives, parents will be encouraged to take their children around the country on the popular Bharat Darshan.
• The ministry of tourism should consider providing SOPS that are extended to inbound and domestic tour operators, as well for their participation in travel-related programmes and other occasions within the country.