Destination North

Narinder Kumar

India's economic reforms have given a big push to Indian tourism. Not only is there a continuing product improvement but there has also been a phenomenal growth in infrastructure, which augurs well for its development in the future. Tourism, rightly, is now being projected as the new engine of growth and an instrument for eliminating poverty, ending unemployment, creating new skills and helping towards the upliftment of women.

Tourism is now the largest service industry globally, in terms of gross revenue as well as foreign exchange earnings. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) for 2006 forecasts that travel and tourism will generate 234 million direct and indirect jobs world-wide, accounting for 8.7 per cent of the global employment, and it will contribute to 10.3 per cent of the global GDP in the near future. According to a tourism satellite accounting for India, tourism's contribution to the GDP of the country has been 5.9 per cent in 2003-04, while employment in the tourism sector, both direct and indirect, has been 41.8 million in the same year, accounting for 8.78 per cent of total employment in the country.

Given the northern region's topographical and cultural diversity, there is no doubt that immense potential exists for trade opportunities in both traditional tourism-related areas as well as in less traditional fields ranging from the heritage hotels and restaurants, to the setting up of golf courses, amusement parks, adventure and water sports complexes, health and herbal resorts, domestic airports and air taxi operations. Like the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, which are getting together to promote themselves as a Diamond Quadrangle, and the recent creation of the north-east brand, 'Eastern Eight', and the slogan, 'Eight states, 8000 reasons to visit', Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, J&K and Chandigarh, which constitute a unique socio-geographical unit of the country, need to coordinate their efforts for joint planning, marketing and management of tourism products and services. They also need to pool in their resources to project this region as one compact destination.

In view of the profound changes taking place throughout the world, rural (farm) tourism is being taken up by many a state government in the country. Northern Indian states could select certain villages with unique salient features and develop them as model tourism villages which reflect their cultural and historical heritage. Heritage villages like Chokhi Dhani near Jaipur, which showcase the history and culture, archaeology and architecture, and unique lifestyles of the people, if set up, would go a long way in creating a large number of direct and indirect jobs and income opportunities.

Northern Indian states are dotted with religious and pilgrimage centres which attract millions of devotees every year. However, facilities at these places are woefully lacking. Master plans for places like Jwalamukhi, Chintpurni, Nainadevi in HP, as well as for other places in other northern Indian states should be prepared; with emphasis on sanitation, economy accommodation and catering facilities.

While developing facilities for different categories of tourists, we should also develop facilities for youth and those who travel on shoe-string budgets. These facilities should be in the form of youth hostels, huts, cabins, and tentage colonies. Rest houses located on important trek routes should be equipped with blankets and other facilities for use by trekkers and others.

Health & herbal tourism - with a thrust on ayurveda, meditation, yoga, naturopathy and panchkarma is fast emerging as a significant segment of the overall tourism spectrum, with Kerala being the perfect example of a success story where a large number of domestic and international visitors come to avail of the indigenous therapies. Ninety per cent of the more than two lakh foreign tourists to the state visit Kerala to avail of rejuvenating therapies based on ayurveda. Northern Indian states should explore the possibility of developing holistic health destinations and introduce Panchkarma packages in their tourist bungalows and other establishments. All this will create a large number of employment opportunities, even in those areas which are economically backward but endowed with other tourist attractions.

With a view to bridging the seasonal gap in tourist traffic, joint inter-state tourism packages also need to be organised, besides working out specially designed customised packages for the non-resident Indians.

There is vast potential to promote cinematic tourism in the region, on account of its varied topography and other man-made and natural attractions. Movies have now become cinematic travel brochures that help sell potential and actual motivations that are largely film- induced. Feature films are often made at significant and identifiable historic or heritage sites, such as castles and manors, which gain increased popularity as tourism destinations after the film has been released. In fact, some of the special sites and events became popular tourist attractions because of the films produced on these sites.

Incentives and facilities should also be offered to the film and TV directors and producers to make films in this region. Efforts should also be made to improve and upgrade infrastructural facilities at the airports, make greater use of the helipads, work out air packages and introduce helicopter/chopper services from Chandigarh to places of interest in HP, J&K, UP, Uttaranchal, Punjab, Haryana, and even to Rajasthan.

Culture-cuisine-craft festivals should also be organised jointly by the northern Indian states at important tourist generating cities, while a compendium providing information on places of tourist attraction, facilities, maps, package and conducted tours, also need to be brought out by these states.

However, to successfully implement the plans and policies, northern Indian states may cooperate in developing quality human resources for tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors. For joint co-ordination, a board with representatives from all the northern Indian states should be constituted, with representatives both from the public and private sectors. This statement had also been voiced by the chief ministers of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh in the past for forging joint strategies for regional cooperation. Therefore, let these poise statements be translated into reality, as far as tourism development is concerned.

The author is professor of tourism at ITFT Chandigarh and can be contacted at www.itftgroup.com