Union
minister for tourism and culture Ambika Soni has said
that the foreign tourist arrivals in India during 2006
were 13.5 per cent higher than in 2005, which was 13 per
cent up on 2004. The ministry of tourism has commissioned
a study to examine the various aspects of tourism covering
existing policies, infrastructure, marketing strategies,
etc, in order to prepare a plan for increasing the flow
of foreign tourists in the country.
Development
of tourism was primarily the responsibility of state governments
and the union territory administrations, she said, though
the union ministry of tourism provides central financial
assistance to states and the union territories for the
development of destinations and circuits under a scheme
called Product Infrastructure Development for Destinations
and Circuits.
Other
steps to attract more tourists to India and provide suitable
facilities include:
- Enhancing
connectivity through increased air capacity and improving
road infrastructure to major tourist attractions
- Focusing
on the growth of hotel infrastructure, particularly
budget hotels
- Placing
on the ministry''s website a guide on select hospitals
for health tourism
- Launching
a social awareness campaign to provide tourists with
a sense of being welcome
- Direct
co-operative marketing with airlines, tour operators
and wholesalers overseas
- A
greater focus on emerging markets, particularly China,
East Asian countries like Japan, and South East Asia
- Use
of the Internet and web marketing
- Reinforcing
hospitality programmes, including grant of air passage
for media personnel and tour operators for familiarisation
tours of India, to get first hand information about
various tourism products.
Statewise
arrivals
State
/ UT
|
Foreign
tourist visitors
|
2005
|
2006
(provisional)
|
Andhra
Pradesh
|
5,60,024
|
6,69,617
|
Arunachal
Pradesh
|
289
|
607
|
Assam
|
10,782
|
10,374
|
Bihar
|
63,321
|
84,942
|
Goa
|
3,36,803
|
3,80,414
|
Gujarat
|
47,107
|
87,739
|
Haryana
|
59,353
|
67,854
|
Himachal
Pradesh
|
2,07,790
|
2,81,569
|
Jammu
& Kashmir
|
44,345
|
46,087
|
Karnataka
|
5,45,225
|
5,05,524
|
Kerala
|
3,46,499
|
4,28,534
|
Madhya
Pradesh
|
1,60,832
|
1,86,587
|
Maharashtra
|
14,48,656
|
16,54,367
|
Manipur
|
316
|
295
|
Meghalaya
|
5,099
|
4,287
|
Mizoram
|
273
|
436
|
Nagaland
|
883
|
1,002
|
Orissa
|
33,310
|
39,141
|
Punjab
|
4,353
|
1,93,933
|
Rajasthan
|
11,31,164
|
12,20,164
|
Sikkim
|
16,523
|
18,026
|
Tamil
Nadu
|
11,79,316
|
10,36,732
|
Tripura
|
2,677
|
3,245
|
Uttarakhand
|
75,995
|
85,284
|
Uttar
Pradesh
|
11,74,597
|
13,28,974
|
Chhattisgarh
|
912
|
1,094
|
Jharkhand
|
6,035
|
4,368
|
West
Bengal
|
8,95,639
|
9,98,029
|
A
& N Islands
|
2,147
|
9,051
|
Chandigarh
|
23,284
|
25,217
|
Daman
& Diu
|
6,164
|
5,517
|
Delhi
|
15,11,893
|
19,74,836
|
D
& N Haveli
|
1,226
|
1,400
|
Lakshadweep
|
941
|
2,142
|
Pondicherry
|
36,009
|
46,273
|
Land
of the rising tourist numbers
Tourist
arrivals from Japan: 2000 to 2006
|
Year
|
Number
|
2000
|
98,159
|
2001
|
80,634
|
2002
|
59,709
|
2003
|
77,996
|
2004
|
96,851
|
2005
|
1,02,000
|
2006
(provisional)
|
1,19,292
|
Outbound
traffic from India to Japan
|
2002
|
2003
|
2004
|
45,394
|
47,520
|
53,000
|
Japan
is one of India''s top tourist generating markets. Tourist
from Japan generally comprise senior citizens, young women
in their 20s and 30s, and students. A majority of tourists
participate in excursion package tours, mostly to north
India. Some students and young travellers enjoy personally
arranged backpacking trips. There is also a Buddhist pilgrimage
tour to Buddhist sites.
The
Taj Mahal is the ''first, the second and the third'' most
popular destination among Japanese travellers. It is the
symbol of India; its picture appears on every India tour
brochure. Consequently, 90 per cent of the package tour
itineraries are confined to the ''golden triangle'' of Delhi,
Agra and Jaipur. Varanasi, Khajuraho, Ajanta and Ellora
are the other destinations that Japanese tourists favour.
The
ministry of tourism has launched an extensive global media
campaign directly and through its overseas offices
targeting source markets in East Asia, including
Korea and Japan as part of its ''Look East Policy'' to get
a greater number of tourists with special interest in
Buddhist sites.
Sites
connected to the life and teachings of Buddha are spread
all over India, from Leh in the North to Amaravati in
the South and Arunachal Pradesh in the East to Ajanta
and Ellora in the West. They can be used to increase tourist
arrivals from Japan.
Phase
I of the Ajanta Ellora Conservation and Tourism Development
Project in Maharashtra was supported by the Japan Bank
for International Cooperation (JBIC) with a loan of ¥3.75
billion ($32 million, Rs133 crore). JBIC has agreed to
provide loan assistance of ¥7.33 billion ($63 million,
Rs260 crore) for phase-II development at Ajanta Ellora.
This includes monument conservation, infrastructure development
and tourist development.
In
2005 JBIC agreed to give a loan for the development of
the Buddhist circuit in Uttar Pradesh. This project includes
improving the infrastructure at Buddhist sites at Sarnath,
Kushinagar, Kapilvastu, Sravasti and Sankisa.
The
India tourism office in Tokyo has been printing literature
and publicity material in local languages and has been
working closely with Japanese tour operators and travel
agents, to familiarise them about the country''s tourism
products.
The
ministry of tourism organised an international conclave
on Buddhism and Spiritual Tourism at New Delhi on 17 and
18 February 2004. This was followed by the dedication
ceremony of the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodhgaya on 19 February
2004. The holiest site in Buddhism, it has been declared
as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The
ministry also organised a seminar on Indo-Japan Travel
and Tourism on 6 December 2005, at the Ashok Hotel, New
Delhi, during the visit of a study mission led by the
special advisor to the Japanese minister for land, infrastructure
and transport. It was a follow up to the joint statement
made during the visit of the Japanese prime minister to
India in April 2005, and was attended by the Japanese
ambassador and members of the Indian travel and tourism
industry. It provided an opportunity for the Japanese
delegation to interact with Indian tour operators.
A
joint statement Promotion of India-Japan Tourism
Exchange was signed during the visit of the prime
minister of India to Japan in December 2006.
The
ministry of tourism is participating in the JATA World
Travel Fair (WTF) being held in Tokyo in September 2007.
It will also be organising a road show and seminar in
collaboration with FICCI on the sidelines of the JATA
WTF to showcase India''s tourism products to tour operators
from Japan. Participation by state governments and the
travel trade will ensure an all-round focus on India''s
tourism sector at the event.
Bringing
down the Great Wall
This year is the ''India-China Year of Friendship Through
Tourism'', which was launched in February. Under the action
plan adopted between the two countries, tourism and culture
minister Ambika Soni and chairman of the China National
Tourism Administration (CNTA) Shao Quwei, jointly inaugurated
the China National Tourist office in New Delhi last week.
Speaking
on the occasion Soni said the opening of the CNTA office
was an indication of the importance that the government
of China attaches to expanding people-to-people links
with India through tourism. She said her ministry would
provide all necessary support for the smooth functioning
of the Chinese Tourist Office.
The
UN World Tourism Organisation survey has placed China
and India amongst the fastest growing outbound destinations
in the world. A very interesting feature of outbound statistics
reveals that 78 per cent of outbound traffic from Asia
is within the continent itself. The minister said she
is confident that if India and China can manage their
two-way tourist traffic, it will make a significant contribution
to both countries.
The
minister said the Beijing Olympics next year were a major
event for China, and India too, was gearing itself to
hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Mega events like
these have enormous tourist value, both during and after
the event. Shao Qiwei said that the opening of the tourist
office in India would promote bilateral relations. He
said his country was looking forward to tourists from
India during the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the World Expo
in Shanghai.
Earlier
the India-China Tourism Forum met to exchange information
for future cooperation in the tourism sector between the
two countries. More than 120 delegates from India and
China attended the meeting. Soni and Shao Qiwei held a
brief meeting to discuss ways to further promotion of
bilateral relations in the tourism sector.
A
high level Chinese tourism delegation led by the chairman
of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) is
currently in India at Soni''s invitation. A series of events
will be held in New Delhi and Mumbai during its stay in
India, which include a China Tourism Night each in New
Delhi and Mumbai. Over 200 travel industry representatives
in each place have been invited to meet with their Chinese
counterparts and explore business opportunities with them.
The
action plan for the ''India-China Year of Friendship Through
Tourism''includes:
- Unveiling
of a joint logo for the year
- Launch
of a Chinese version of the Incredible India website
- Release
of Indian tourism literature in Chinese
- A
16-member Chinese media / tour operators group visited
India in March 2007, under the ''hospitality scheme''
of the Ministry of Tourism. It visited Delhi, Agra and
Jaipur.
- A
CNTA delegation comprising tour operators from Jiangsu,
Zhejiang and Shanghai provinces visited India.
- CNTA
participated in the South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange
(SATTE) exhibition held from 19 to 21 April 2007, in
New Delhi.
- The
Ministry of Tourism organised road shows in Beijing
and Shanghai from 23 to 25 April 2007, to showcase India''s
tourist attractions in the Chinese market.
- The
Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has extended
an invitation to CNTA to participate in the IATO annual
convention, to be held in New Delhi from 1 to 3 September
2007.
- CNTA
inaugurates its office in New Delhi on 20 August 2007.
An India-China Tourism Forum is held for interaction
between travel trade from India and China. CNTA organises
a China Tourism Night in Mumbai on 22 August.
Tourist
Arrivals from China
|
2003
|
2004
|
2005
|
2006
(Provisional)
|
21,152
|
34,100
|
44,897
|
62,330
|
Indian
tourists travelling to China
|
2003
|
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
2,19,097
|
3,09,411
|
3,56,460
|
4,05,091
|
The
Buddhist sites in India could be of interest to the Chinese.
Besides, India could also showcase its cultural heritage
and handicrafts. There are many similarities between Indian
and Chinese tourism products, which could help in promoting
greater cooperation between the two countries:
- Both
the countries have a high awareness about each other
- Both
are fascinating destinations and share a glorious ancient
heritage and civilisation, almost as old as mankind
- Travelling
distances are short, and package tours can be quite
economical
- Both
the countries have cultural diversities and historically
warm relations
|
|