TravTalk India Online Magazine
Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, believes that the sector will be a major economic driver post COVID, and that revival of domestic travel aided by the commendable handling of the crisis would also help.
Nisha Verma
Arvind Singh has said that the top leadership of the country considers the tourism sector to be one of the major drivers of economy post COVID. “After joining MOT, the feedback I received was that the top leadership of the country is looking at the tourism sector to be one of the major drivers in the post-COVID world. If jobs have to grow, incomes have to grow and the economy has to bounce back along with public investment in infrastructure,” he said in his address at the inauguration of India Tourism Mart (ITM) in New Delhi. Singh added that ITM’s recommendations on policies and initiatives of various tourism segments, including culture tourism, adventure tourism, eco-tourism, M!CE, medical and cruise tourism, will be useful for both government and industry.
He also believes that a hybrid ITM event this year was able to prove that domestic tourism in India is reviving and that the country is also ready to re-open inbound travel, marking the beginning of the end of bad days. But, what will aid the endeavour to open borders is the success of India’s approach in handling the COVID-19 pandemic. “This must be told to the world that despite the constraints on our health infrastructure, the country has successfully managed the pandemic. While controlling the pandemic at home, India has also helped other nations in the neighbourhood and elsewhere with vaccines to help them in controlling the pandemic. We have now emerged as one of the leaders in the global efforts towards vaccination post COVID. Over nine million persons have already been vaccinated in the country till date, and the world is looking up to India for showing the light towards the future of the vaccination programme,” he highlighted.
Domestic tourism
Driven by encouraging reports of a spurt in domestic tourism in Goa, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and J&K due to a large number of Indians who were earlier travelling abroad but are now visiting various destinations within India, Singh says that a focus on domestic tourism’s potential and encouraging fellow countrymen to explore their own country by taking a much-needed break within their own borders will be a winning strategy for the country and the sector. “The Dekho Apna Desh campaign of MOT is aimed at promoting domestic tourism through webinars and various other events and activities. MOT is providing impetus to domestic tourism and has also been successful in promoting lesser-known destinations of the country,” the Secretary added.
Calibrated opening of inbound tourism
“We can allow those on tourist visas to come to India. However, most of our source markets are in the developed world, which is US, Europe and UK, and currently, these places have a major concern about the disease and its spread, with new variants being found. So, when opening international tourism, we will have to also factor in health concerns. Hence, we will take a calibrated approach and perhaps open tourist visas for countries where COVID-19 has almost been eliminated, and introduce standard health protocols. Once we do that for such countries, then we can think of opening for other countries where it is still prevalent. We, at MOT, will work with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health and Ministry of External Affairs to plan a calibrated opening up of inbound tourism and relaxation in restrictions on the tourist visa. We, at the government and industry levels, have to jointly work to bring about the recovery of inbound tourism and take it to pre-COVID levels,” he shared.
In fact, when asked how MOT would help the industry sail ahead, Singh said that most industry associations and the parliamentary committee have raised their issues before MOT, and these will be taken up with the concerned ministries.
Digital promotions
Singh said that the pandemic has also brought about the unprecedented use of technology in the lives of people.
“We will have to, in this new normal, leverage digital technology for creating awareness and providing services to tourists. We will strengthen the Incredible India portal, leveraging Virtual Reality and other technological means to further popularise Indian destinations. In the post-COVID scenario, we can focus on India’s ancient knowledge and wisdom on wellness, Yoga and alternative medicine,” he suggested.
