Tourism
'LEARN
INDIA' CAMPAIGN
NEW
DELHI: Besides plans to attract foreign tourists, the Tourism
Minister, Smt. Renuka Chaudhary proposes to launch Learn
India campaign to promote tourism among youth. Excerpts
of an interview :
What
are your five topmost priorities as tourism minister?
First,
sanitation and safety: to promote clean, healthy and safe
image at home and abroad. First impression is last impression,
so special care will be taken to clean-up entry points like
airports and ensure satisfactory facilities to visitors.
Second,
the Incredible India campaign will be taken forward to create
links in rural areas. We will moot the setting-up of souvenir
shops throughout the country at tourist attraction spots
and products will be manufactured locally. Simple affordable
and small products will be made available at all tourist
destinations – as is the practice in most of Europe and
America.
Third,
we will promote spiritual tourism. This will include mysticism,
yoga and healing arts like Reiki and Ayurveda. Not unrelated
to this, medical tourism will be promoted in a big way.
India’s surgeons are globally renowned, especially in eye,
heart, orthopaedics and gastro-intestinal care.
Spiritual
tourism would focus not only on temples but also highlight
and promote historical and architecturally splendid churches,
mosques and gurudwaras. This would attract not just NRIs
but also foreign tourists. Sai Baba, for instance has a
huge following outside India and so has immense market value
abroad.
Earlier,
when Rajnish attracted a considerable following, we failed
to encash on this, popularizing India as a brand abroad.
Now we will set about doing just that. Our special focus
will be on promoting spa-tourism – not just upmarket ones
like Ananda-in-the-Himalayas but also ones that will cater
to the budget tourist. And we already have considerable
infrastructure for this.
Fourth,
we’ll expedite the proposal to provide spot visa clearance,
Visa-on-arrival will be made available for countries which
have a reciprocal arrangement like Bangkok, for example.
Of course, in implementing this, we shall keep in mind national
security in considerations.
Fifth,
we will kick-off a Learn India campaign on the lines of
the Incredible India campaign. Learn India however will
focus completely on the youth. And packages will offer affordable
accommodation and food, travel concessions, etc. for students
wishing to travel the country as part of their learning
experience.
I
must mention that I’m keen to kick-off a well-run vernacular
(regional language) campaign to remind ourselves that irrespective
of language etc. every one of us believes in the time-honoured
Indian belief that the Guest is God – Atithi Devo Bhava.
So the visiting tourist is to be perceived as Lakshmi –
bringing in wealth and prosperity. So why would anyone want
to loot her?
How
confident are you of achieving these 5 priorities?
I
am confident, but remember, the job demands a great deal
of liaison work. Also, a lot depends on the degree of cooperation
available from other ministries and government departments
as well as exigencies of circumstances.
What
are the difficulties you forsee?
Resistance
to change. You know, people have this habit of just digging
in their heels and sitting tight. That’s a major problem.
And we’ll face this problem not just in officialdom but
in all other sectors as well as generally among people.
The other thing I would worry about is any health issue
that spirals out of control. Epidemic breakouts, for instance.
You know how this can create panic and generate scare stories.
Narayani
Ganesh
(Courtesy: The Economic Times)
