Engine of economic growth

Pradeep Kharola, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, claims that the definition of tourism has changed over the past years from simply being ‘entertainment’ to an economic activity and engine of growth.

Nisha Verma

At a recent webinar with FAITH, Pradeep Kharola said that tourism is second nature to humans. “Tourism was earlier thought of as something for entertainment and pleasure. However, things changed around two or three decades back when tourism started being seen as an economic activity. Today, tourism has become an engine for economic growth. It has the potential for generation of employment and more importantly, generation of employment in far-flung areas. This is an important characteristic of tourism; no other economic activity could generate employment in remote areas. That’s the kind of potential it has and that’s why it has become an economic engine of growth. It is important for the government as well, hence, they are planning policies to ensure that tourism is given impetus,” he said.

Kharola added that if someone asked him what had changed in aviation in the last few years, he would say that there are three things that have changed. “Firstly, the expanse of aviation has changed. Around 20 years back, our country only had a few airports and even lesser international airports, but today our country has over 100 airports and we are planning to ensure that five years down the line we will have 200 airports. Secondly, accessibility has improved. When the number of airports has increased, accessibility also improves. Thirdly, the most important part is affordability. Air travel has become cheaper and has come within the range of the common man. This has contributed to development of aviation and tourism,” he believes.