The recent disaster in Uttarakhand has left a lesson for us to learn, notes the Tourism minister.
Union minister K Chiranjeevi inaugurated the World Travel And Tourism Council, India Initiative (WTTCII), in Hyderabad on Saturday.
Inaugurating the council, Chiranjeevi said, "The recent disaster in Uttarakhand has left a lesson for us to learn. There is a need to build tourism activities in a sustainable manner keeping in view the carrying capacities of various hill stations, and also create new destinations to cater the to ever-growing urge to travel."
Chiranjeevi went on to say that the southern region of India in itself is a 365-day destination, with attractions ranging from world heritage structures to temples, back-waters and hill-stations to biodiversity hotspots, and rich flora and fauna to varied tea, coffee and spice plantations.
He lamented that the region is yet to exploit its full potential. "This is due to lack of coordinated efforts among various states and union territories in the region," he said.
"Today, travellers do not want to travel only to one destination. They have multiple locations across states in their itinerary. So there must be resolution among states and union territories on certain issues such as uniformity in taxes levied on various tourism related services, seamless travel, timely issue of clearances, need for hotel projects and hotel classification, and charging of taxes on actual hotel tariffs," he said.
He added that there on a federal level, there is a need for the rationalization of coastal zone tourism, rationalization of central taxes levied under tourism services, and declaration of tourism as an export industry.
Chiranjeevi also promulgated the idea of intra-regional tourism packages to offer affordable and economic travel.
The minister insisted on the constitution of a South Zone Tourism Advisory Council in order to promote foreign trade in the tourism industry. He also emphasized the need for ensuring the safety and security of tourists.
Speaking on the occasion, R V Deshpande, Minister for Tourism in the government of Karnataka, insisted on the protection of monuments, heritage structures, and local culture of places to attract more tourists. Deshpande also drew focus to the need for hygienic toilets and potable water in tourist locations. Giving the Tourism ministry financial powers was another point he brought up.
Vatti Vasant Kumar, Minister for Tourism in the government of Andhra Pradesh, said, "While international tourism is important as it contributes to foreign exchange earnings and maintains the balance of payments, the contribution of domestic tourism is also very important as it provides greater contribution in rural areas." (INN)