The Hindu Editorial Analysis On National Tourism Day 2023

The Hindu Editorial Analysis on National Tourism Day 2023

National Tourism Day 2023: Every Year, National Tourism Day falls on January 25.  The day is marked annually in order to raise awareness about the importance that the tourism industry plays in the country. The day is also a way to recognise the contributions of the thousands working in the tourism industry.

Significance Of Today’s The Hindu Editorial Analysis: The Hindu Editorial Analysis on National Tourism Day 2023 is very significant for UPSC CSE Exam and other all India Competitive Exams as events like National Tourism Day help promote India as a world-class tourist destination to foreign travellers while also encouraging domestic tourism, which forms an important part of the tourism market.

G20 Summit 2023- India’s G20 Presidency & Tourism Opportunities for N-E States

Background Of National Tourism Day 2023

In 2022, the National Tourism Day was part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the 75-week grand celebration marking 75 years of Indian Independence. This year too, National Tourism Day will be part of the celebrations.

History Behind National Tourism Day

• World Tourism Day is celebrated in the world on 27 September. India celebrates National Tourism Day every year on 25 January. This day was started in 1948.
• After the country got independence, a Tourism Traffic Committee was formed to promote tourism in India.
• Three years later, in 1951, Regional Offices of Tourism Day were increased in Kolkata and Chennai.
• Apart from Delhi, Mumbai, tourism offices were set up in Kolkata and Chennai.
• In the year 1998, a department was added to tourism under the Minister of Tourism and Communications.
• Now it is celebrated at the district level of every state of the country.

Recent Initiatives By GOI To Boost Tourism Sector

Recently, the GOI has taken several initiatives to boost tourism sector:

Bharat Gaurav Trains

Bharat Gaurav Trains (or theme-based tourist circuit trains) to highlight India’s rich cultural heritage and history.

National Conference on Tourist Police

In October 2022, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Home Affairs organised the National Conference on Tourist Police (to develop tourist specific policing), aimed at working with the police and sensitising them on addressing the needs of foreign and domestic tourists.

Yuva Tourism Clubs

In partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Tourism Ministry has begun establishing ‘Yuva Tourism’ clubs to nurture young ambassadors of Indian tourism.

Cruise Tourism

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is aiming to make India an attractive cruise tourism destination using state-of-the-art infrastructure.

Tourism Officers

In partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, tourism officers have been placed in 20 Indian missions in countries that contribute to some of the highest foreign tourist arrivals in India.

Draft National Tourism Policy 2022

Draft National Tourism Policy 2022 has been formulated after situational analysis including the impact of COVID-19 and taking into account future projections for the tourism sector with a vision for India@100. Key Highlights of Draft National Tourism Policy 2022 Are:

• Institutional Structure: One of the ideas includes an institutional structure that can take concurrent and coordinated action across the Union, State and local government levels in partnership with industry.
• To Grant Industry Status to Tourism Sector: Draft National Tourism Policy 2022 mentions granting industry status to the tourism sector, as well as granting infrastructure status to hotels, in an effort to attract investment.
• Five Key Areas of National Tourism Policy 2022: Five key areas would be given significant focus in the next 10 years — green tourism, digital tourism, destination management, skilling the hospitality sector and supporting tourism-related to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
• To Appropriate Taxation and Subsidy Policies: The Mission will advocate appropriate taxation and subsidy policies to encourage investment in sustainable tourism activities and discourage unsustainable tourism.
• Offers Framework Conditions: The draft tourism policy 2022 doesn’t deal with specific operational issues, but offers framework conditions to help the sector, especially in the wake of the pandemic.

The overall mission and vision of Draft National Tourism Policy 2022 are being laid out to improve the experience of tourists, foreign as well as local.

How India’s G20 Presidency Is An Opportunity For Tourism Industry?

• It is this ‘whole of government’ approach that has equipped India with the ability to host the G-20 presidency — 20 countries, 11 special invitee countries, and nearly one lakh delegates will participate in 200 meetings at over 50 locations.
• Every delegate or visitor who is in India to attend the G-20 summit will return as a brand ambassador and spread the word on India’s rich cultural, spiritual and natural heritage.
• In May 2022, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Copenhagen, Denmark, he urged the Indian diaspora to inspire at least five of their non-Indian friends to visit India.

Visit India Year 2023

• Visit India Year 2023 is a new government initiative which aims to promote various tourism products and destinations to increase India’s share in the global tourism market.
• Data show that domestic tourism has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, even exceeding it in some cases.
• This is evident in a record 1.84 crore domestic tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir in 2022.
• Similarly, foreign tourist arrivals are expected to reach pre-pandemic levels.
• India is a tourist destination to rekindle one’s inner self. As the birthplace to four major world religions, i.e., Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism, India can truly claim to be the world’s spiritual beacon. This is at the core of the Visit India Year 2023.

Significance Of Tourism Industry

• Before COVID-19, the tourism industry in India saw rapid growth and employed millions.
• The industry was valued at around $75 billion in FY20, despite the last quarter being marred by the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• During the same time period, the tourism industry employed a total of 39 million individuals or over 8 percent of the total Indian workforce.
• This contribution from the tourism sector is expected to grow rapidly.
• It is estimated that the number of people employed in the sector is expected to grow by around 35 percent to 53 million by 2028.
• During the same time period, the tourism industry is expected to grow to $125 billion, an increase of nearly 67 percent. By 2028, India is expected to see 30.5 million foreign tourists and earn $56 billion in foreign exchange.
• However, to ensure that the Indian tourism industry is able to reach these heights, the government will need to promote awareness about the importance of tourism, engage in skill-building and improve infrastructure.

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