India Tourism Needs Vision At The Top To Address Key Issues, Visas

India needs a clear vision and stronger leadership in tourism to convert its enormous heritage, cultural and geographical diversity into a much larger international tourism market, according to Iqbal Mulla, President, Global Tourism Council. Foreign tourist arrivals have not yet returned to the pre-pandemic level of 2019 and utilisation of budgetary allocations has been considerably low in the past few years.

To raise tourism’s contribution to GDP, employment and foreign exchange earnings, India needs better connectivity to tourist destinations, improved heritage infrastructure, easier visas and greater flight and charter facilitation, Mulla said.

India has the heritage, culture, diversity and cuisine to attract global tourists, he said, but what it needs now is “vision” to bring these strengths together and build a globally competitive tourism ecosystem.

India has around 45 World Heritage sites and offers a wide variety of attractions, cultures, languages and cuisines, but has failed to adequately deliver what international tourists expect. While India has enormous tourism potential, inadequate infrastructure around tourist destinations remains a major constraint.

“Nothing is specifically developed for tourism spots,” Mulla said, pointing to the lack of adequate infrastructure around major attractions. Safety, insurance, connectivity and accessibility are among the key concerns for international tourists, he said.

India has built highways, roads and metros, but infrastructure around tourism destinations needs greater attention. Mulla called for greater public-private participation in developing facilities around World Heritage sites and other tourism assets.

He cited the Taj Mahal as an example, saying that despite its global significance, adequate infrastructure and safety arrangements around the monument remain a concern. Similar problems exist around temples and other heritage attractions, where visitors can face difficulties in accessing the sites.

Budget utilisation is another major concern. Although the government has allocated around Rs 2,400-2,500 crore annually for tourism in recent years, actual utilisation has been considerably lower. Mulla attributed this partly to a lack of expertise and vision in deciding how and where tourism funds should be spent.

He suggested bringing tourism experts into advisory councils and expanding public-private partnerships, including overseas, to improve India’s promotion as an international destination.

India’s overseas tourism promotion also needs to be strengthened, he said. Earlier, the country had around 21 overseas promotional offices, but these have gradually been shut down. Instead, India could work with local tourism authorities and private sector players in different countries to promote inbound tourism.

Visa facilitation is another critical issue. Mulla said lengthy and complicated procedures can discourage potential visitors and suggested longer-duration visas and simpler processes, while retaining necessary security checks.