Lead Story

Eleventh Five Year Plan outlines new tourism strategy

Jyoti Koul - New Delhi

Going by the fact that it took India many years to achieve an age old target of five million tourists, targeting to double it in just three years seems to be mere wishful thinking. However, as per the Eleventh Five Year Plan, the working group on tourism has recommended a target of 10 million internationals arrivals by 2011.

In its vision document, the ministry of tourism forecasts the achievement of this target by 2010. This ambitious target is proposed to be achieved through diversification of principal source markets, improving the infrastructural facilities such as airports, roads, civic amenities at the tourist destination, increasing the air seat capacity and connectivity, besides avid publicity. However, in case of domestic tourism, the target to be achieved in 2010 and 2011 will be 725 million and 812 million tourists respectively, assuming an annual growth rate of about 12 percent over the level of 461 million domestic tourist visits in 2006.

The principal source markets would include countries such as Israel, Spain, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, etc. which offer high growth potential. The Eleventh Five Year plan also stresses on the need to concentrate on countries like South Africa, Mauritius, Kenya, Malaysia, Fiji, etc. with a large Indian diaspora for higher tourist arrivals from those countries. Apart form this, the baby boomers' group in North America and Europe would be encouraged to visit India by fostering in them the desire to discover one of the world's oldest civilizations and to enjoy the plurality of cultural enjoyment offered by this country.