Tour Map For Growth

The Centre will develop more travel circuit, entertainment  parks and rural tourism clusters across the country to promote the tourism sector at home and abroad.

The comprehensive plan is aimed at meeting a series of ambitious targets like doubling the number of  foreign tourists, increasing the annual growth rate of domestic tourism and creating around 25 million new jobs in the next five years. The sector now employs about 50 million people, contributing to 5.92 per cent of the GDP in the country.

The strategy paper with the plans and proposals was unveiled before government representatives of 10 Eastern and North Eastern states and their stakeholders  at a meeting in Shillong on November 17.

In the next Five – Year Plan starting 2012, the ministry plans to develop 24 tourism circuits in 10 states, covering  popular and new destinations.

“The representative of the Union Ministry has promised that the Center will allot funds for integrated  infrastructure development  in these circuits. We appreciate the move as it is in consonance with the recent trend where tourists want to visit multiple sites,”  a Siliguri – based tour operator who had attended the event. “We look forward to the funds being sanctioned in the next Five – Year Plan, when these projects will be taken up.”

According to the blueprint, four projects – covering coasts, hills, forests and heritage sites – would be developed in Bengal. “ A new circuit , covering the birth places of  Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Ma Sarada has proposed by the government in South Bengal . In North Bengal, the circuit mentioned in the document is a known one but need immediate development of infrastructure to bring in more tourists,” stakeholders said.

In Sikkim, the popular sites in East and South districts have been brought under a single circuit while a separate corridor has been planned from  Namchi, covering the famous Gurudongmar Lake.

The Union Tourism Ministry mentioned in its data that in 2007 -2008, 49.8 million people were employed in the sector, of whom 70 per cent are women and 50 per cent are under 25 years of age.

“According to the Planning Commission data, the annual growth rate in tourism is 9 per cent. The Centre wants to increases it to 12.16 per cent in the next fiscal. Also around five million foreign tourists visit  the country in five years. The aim is to increase this to 11.24 million in the next five fiscals and also generate an additional employment of  24.9 million during the same period in the sector,” a source said.

The issue of  land was also discussed at the meeting. “In course of discussion, it was mentioned that  non-availability of  land, required for construction of tourism infrastructure, is a major constraint. Options like sharing of revenue that comes from the infrastructure raised on a plot were discussed.” A participant said. “ The ministry has also planned to appoint consultants at national and state levels, who would be entrusted with responsibilities like identification of more tourism circuits,  preparation of  project reports and monitoring and evaluation of the projects.”

The Estern Himalaya Travels and Tour  Operatours  Association  has welcomed the Centre’s comprehensive  plan. “But we will like to request the State and the Center to monitor this sector closely,”

“ There are quaint hamlets in the Doors and the hills which can be developed as rural clusters but there has to be a regulation to ensure that the places do not lose their character. Lots of infrastructure  development like roads, wayside amenities and others need to be created to complete the circuits planned by the government.

Courtsey : The Telegraph