Reema Lokesh – New Delhi
The FICCI Tourism Investors Meet, held recently at FICCI House in New Delhi, witnessed an offering of a single window clearance promise from the approximately 12 states, apart from robust and promising investment opportunities. Every state had a special offer for the private sector from building of three-star resort hotels to that of partnering in building golf tourism and MICE centres. From water based tourism to rural tourism, the state had a gamut of investment opportunities lined up with a B2G meeting format. The event also witnessed the coming together of the ministry of tourism and the ministry of aviation. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, minister for civil aviation and Mahesh Sharma, minister of state (IC), ministry of tourism, spoke about the relevance of team work to help spread a strong message of brand India as a powerful tourism product. The two-day ‘Tourism Investors Meet’ was organised by FICCI in partnership with the ministry of tourism, Government of India and Tourism Finance Corporation of India (TFCI).
Speaking in a special ministerial session on ‘Tourism Infrastructure and Opportunities for Investment’, Raju said that the 5/20 rule in aviation is a thing of the past and it should be re-considered. He urged the industry to employ the under utilised bilaterals in civil aviation sector to give a boost to tourism sector. Responding to the issue of opening the Indian sky, Raju added, “The country’s sky has been opened up for SAARC nations. India was amongst the few countries that had satellite navigation and it could help in making our skies safer, travel economical and environment less polluting. The onus is now on the industry to utilise this to its advantage.” He also spoke about the ever debated need of centre state co-ordination for better performance. Sharma said that the highest priority should be accorded to improving India’s perception abroad.
“As a country, India must be looked at as a congenial and conducive environment by foreign tourists. It was imperative for citizens to cherish the country’s heritage and communicate its richness to visitors,” opined Sharma. He also briefly touched upon the role of medical tourism and mentioned that India has lagged behind in medical tourism despite its competitive pricing of health care delivery. “For instance, a heart surgery may cost a person in Europe in Indian rupees around Rs 15-20 lakh but in India the same would cost approximately Rs two lakh. Yet, we have not been able to realise the potential as the sector remains unorganised,” he added.
Jyotsna Suri, president, FICCI, said that foreign tourist arrivals in India in 2014 was 7.7 million with a foreign exchange earning of Rs 1,20,083 crore. Indian tourism grew at 10.6 per cent while the world tourism at 4.4 per cent. With this projected growth, the country witnesses a void as the infrastructure struggles to cope with the demand in tourism. The Tourism Investors Meet aims to bring together policy makers and investors on the same platform.