It’s always easy to have armchair discussions about what the
government should do and what it isn’t doing. Notwithstanding that, here
are a few things we’d love to suggest to the tourism ministry, because
we can’t help but say again and again that India can make a lot of money
off its tourism wealth but it we are simply letting opportunities slip
from our hands.
Allow corporate sponsorship for heritage buildings
One of the biggest charms of Indian tourism
is its architecture and wealth of historic monuments. And there’s a
long list of heritage monuments that are still sitting in squalid
environments.
An effective solution for this would be to outsource the maintenance
and exterior lighting of the heritage monument to corporate giants in
return for some branding opportunity at the monument.
Many think this is outright commercialisation. But this is a much
better option than leaving it an abandoned state and let it decay.
Create experiences, not sightseeing spots
If you closely notice, many tourist destinations around the world are
merely made up of created experiences. Be it botanical gardens,
architectural monuments, backwaters, the Himalayas, the tourism ministry
should see the potential of a place to attract tourists rather than
merely banking on the natural beauty of a place.
The tourism industry which includes the government and private
players, need to manipulate destinations as experiences and not
sightseeing point alone.
For instance, steps can be taken to make the tour replete with tour
guides, activities for the children, culinary tours, interactivity for
the tourist with the culture of the place etc.
Build great roads and access points
It would completely wrong on anyone’s part to simply say ‘Create
better infrastructure’. This is a very generic statement. But it is
critical to build good roads and approach points to a certain tourist
destination.
For foreign and domestic tourists alike, a bumpy ride with potholes
and a punctured tire only to reach an exotic Indian destination is no
good.
Packaged train travel, easy bus connections and safe car hire
services with knowledgeable personnel combines with great freeways and
highways may sound utopian but are critical features for an unmatched
tourist experience.
Aggressive tourism marketing strategies
Many people seem to be having a problem with exoticizing India to the
West but at some point if that strategy allows for the raking in of
moolah, then why not? We’re not promoting India as the land of snakes
and charmers anymore, but the tourism ministry should surely pursue
aggressive online and other marketing strategies to promote India as a
must-visit location. Whether it is broadcasting ‘Incredible India’
campaigns abroad, holding tourism seminars or offering Indian locations
with facilities to promote foreign film productions in the country.
Aggressive marketing is absolutely critical to be seen and heard well.
Sell niche tourism areas separately
India is currently in a position where it can make a cash cow out of
selling customized experiences, luxury spa sessions, rare animal
sanctuaries, religious pilgrimage tours and extreme Himalaya tours.
With too many points of differentiation available, Indian tourism
should focus on how it has something on offer for everyone in every
category with all budgets. India on shoestring, India in luxury, the
royal India, urban India, the common man’s India, historical India and
much more.
The way information is packaged and distributed can go a long way in improving tourist traffic in the country.
Although the government has already started making a lot of improvements in this area, we still have a long way to go to let tourism alone generate significant revenue for the country.
We need to capitalize on India as a destination where the royal
Bengal tiger, a common labourer, a few millionaires, religious
dichotomies, exotic culinary treasures and some of the most expensive
spas of the world co-exist. Now, that’s quite a challenge, isn’t it?
Do you have any pointers to add?
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