TOURISM

Overview

Tourism has played a pivotal in social progress. It is also an important vehicle in widening socio-economic and cultural contacts. A wide array of interests-entertainment, sports, religion, culture, adventure, education, health and business-drives tourism. Tourist expenditure generates multiple effects with extensive outreach along its value chain. Adding to the demand for a variety of goods and services, tourism offers potential to exploit synergies across a large number of sectors such as agriculture, horticulture, poultry, handicrafts, transport, construction etc., where growth of income has favourable impact on poverty alleviation.

Tourism facilitates business contacts, widens markets and helps diffusion of growth impulses across territories to promote broad based employment and income generation. Investment in tourist infrastructure adds to economic growth, catalyses generation of income and employment, which in turn, leads to further growth in demand for tourism and stimulates subsequent rounds of investment in a virtuous circle.

Statistics of Growth

• In the year 2010, the tourism sector witnessed substantial growth as compared to 2009.

• The Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA) in India during 2010 was 5.6 million as compared to the FTAs of 5.2 million during 2009, showing a growth of 8.1 per cent.

• FEE from tourism during 2010 were US$ 14.1 billion as compared to US$ 11.9 billion during 2009, registering a growth of 18.1 per cent.

• Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report of 2009 from the World Economic Forum, has ranked India as 12 th in the Asia Pacific region and 68 th overall.

• It also ranked India as the 14 th best tourist destination for its human, natural and cultural resources, owing to many World Heritage sites, rich flora and fauna and strong creative industry.

• In the 18th Session of the General Assembly of UN WTO in 2009, India was re-elected to the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization for another four years term. India is a member of the Executive Council of UN WTO continuously for the last 19 years.

Investment Opportunities

• Hotel industry
  
• Service apartments
  
• Adventure Tourism
  
• Health Tourism
  
• Convention centres
  
• Wildlife Tourism
  
• Highway Tourism
  
• Amusement Parks

Infrastructure Development

• Infrastructure development holds the key to India's sustained growth in the tourism sector. Therefore, the Ministry of Tourism has been making efforts to develop quality tourism infrastructure at tourist destinations and circuits. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Product/Infrastructure Development for Destinations and Circuits, the Ministry of Tourism extends Central Financial Assistance tot he State Governments/Union Territory Administrations for tourism projects identified in consultation with them for improvement of existing tourism products and also developing new ones. 100 per cent Central Assistance is given under the scheme for development of destinations/circuits to world standard and also for rural tourism infrastructure development.

• The Ministry of Tourism has launched a scheme for development of nationally and internationally important destinations and circuits through Mega Projects. As on 4 th February 2011, 38 mega projects have been idebtified, out of which 26 projects have been sanctioned. These mega projects, which are a judicious mix of culture, heritage, spiritual and ecotourism, aim to give tourists a holistic perspective.

• For Rural Tourisminfrastructure development, the thrust is towards development of tourism infrastructureat the identified rural tourism sites so that socioeconomic benefits percolaote down to the rural community.

• Ministry of Tourism has taken the initiative of interacting with other Central Government Ministries such as Railways, Civil Aviation, Road Transport & Highways, Food Processing and Urban Development and also the concerned State Governments, to achieve convergence and synergy with their programmes so that the impact of investment on these destinations is maximised. Ministry of Tourism has identified 24 destinations/circuits, based on their tourism potential, to be covered in the first phase of this initiative.