TravTalk India Online Magazine
Rupinder Brar, ADG, Ministry of Tourism, says that it is imperative that the government and industry work together in promoting both domestic and international travel by leveraging infrastructure development and heritage.
Nisha Verma
Challenging times that COVID-19 brought along have made Ministry of Tourism think out of the box, claims Rupinder Brar, adding that she’s glad the industry and government are on the same page, giving them comfort that there is harmony in the thought process. “All that needs to be done is to actually start working together on a few things,” she suggested.
Brar also shared that they are considering the option of providing insurance to inbound travellers. “We are studying international models to see how we, as a country, can incentivise travellers to come to our country and offer a certain sense of security, which would aid the process. MOT is in dialogue with insurance providers as well as the Ministry of Finance to see if the government could take the tab for insurance, and if not, we could at least put a structure in place for the same. There is a lot of learning for all of us in that and we will be taking it forward,” she revealed. Brar was addressing attendees at a webinar organised by FAITH titled ‘Aviation & Tourism: The Road Ahead’. Even mandatory COVID testing is under active consideration. Brar said that currently, some airports already have this facility, and she hopes it can be added to others as well.
“There are many other plans in that regard, which are being deliberated upon, not just at a verbal level but actually in writing,” she added.
Domestic air bubbles
Commenting on a suggestion of considering air bubbles in the domestic sector, Brar said, “It’s a fantastic thought and we will take it forward with Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). I am sure they would love to do it because everyone in the government wants to revive the enthusiasm that tourism has been displaying in India.”
Exploring all options
Agreeing that MOT, along with MoCA, is working on every idea possible, she requested the industry to not lose heart on that front. “Either through our ministry or MoCA, there is no dearth of ideas that are being explored by various service providers. In fact, UDAN-3 has already operationalised 21 routes out of the 46 that got sanctioned and some of them are interesting tours. They are Dimapur-Imphal, Bengaluru-Mysuru, Varanasi-Patna and Agartala-Aizawl. There is a lot of focus on the Northeast. Similarly, UDAN-4 has also announced 78 more routes and we are looking forward to enhanced connectivity to lesser-known areas that have more demand already coming in. We have to ensure that the little dots that need to be connected in enabling the benefits of infrastructure are not lost by any of us,” she said.
Domestic demand
Saying that domestic demand was being ignored by everyone in terms of the potential it had, Brar added, “We hope that this does not remain a focus area for all of us only as a response to the pandemic or just as a stop-gap arrangement. There is huge potential sitting in the market from a domestic tourism perspective. We have been focusing too much on bringing people from outside India, which is justified since they bring in a lot of foreign exchange and are high-value tourists. However, within India, going anywhere else in the country becomes such a unique experience. Hence, we need to leverage that and add value to a segment that has hitherto grown organically but hasn’t really grown with the kind of professional focus that is needed. We can see that the kind of demand that has been generated in Himachal, Uttarakhand or in Goa is great and it’s not even very low cost. In fact, some of them are even expensive segments.
However, there are enough people in all income brackets in India who are willing to travel within India. However, I think it is for all of us to put the package together.”
Working together
Stressing on the need to create far more organised and informational platforms, she pointed out that people don’t know about cities beyond their iconic monuments and tourist attractions.
“We need to work together with all of you to create, maybe through CSR funding, government funding or joint effort, small changes because that’s all that is needed,” added Brar.
She invited FAITH members to discuss all the inititives in progress by the government and asked them to add their inputs for the same.
“The industry can see the initiatives we are taking up and wherever there are gaps, we are more than happy to take them forward as we look at a phase of very robust recovery and revival. India looks like a country which is coming together and is the powerhouse of the 21st century,” she claimed.
