Government Intervention in Indian Tourism

In this globalised world, growth and progress of any country depends upon the development of different sectors of country like social, political, economic, religious, etc. Whereas tourism industry which share major chunk under service sector opened up new avenues which helps to generate surplus revenue for the country. So, Sustainable tourism has been widely acknowledged and becomes superior goal of every country’s tourism policy. An ever-faster pace in market places create high workplace pressures. So, policies should be framed to avoid negative impacts. However, the main focuses of current policies are on economic growth. The purpose of this paper is to study how government policies help tourism sector to grow in this modernised world in spite of different challenges, threats, strains, etc and to achieve sustainable development. The paper is purely based upon secondary sources which are already existed like articles, magazines, books, newspaper, literature etc.


Introduction
In the 21 st century, the tourism industry in India is growing rapidly day by day as large number of people travel from one place to another every year.This industry is proving to be a boon for growth and development of the country as the tourism sector has opened new avenues that help to generate surplus revenue for the country.Tourism has always been a great unifying force responsible for healthy interaction and mutual understanding between people of different countries and their culture.As tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, it is recognized as key contributor in employment generation, economic growth, cultural assimilation, environment protection etc. especially in the rural and underdeveloped areas around the world.It acts as a potent agent for economic and social change.It changes the economic structure of the country by stimulating employment and investment opportunities.It also plays an important role for foreign exchange earnings.A well designed and organized tourism helps to preserve the natural as well as cultural heritage.The rich heritage of India, monuments, religious places, culture, architectural designs, diverse topography and landforms in India such as valley*s, mountains, beaches, mangroves, deserts, serene ghats, tiger reserves, etc attract large number of tourists.After World War II, tourism became a global phenomenon.The availability of better communication facilities and faster transportation system has led to an enormous movement of people across the world.In ancient India people use to travel across sub-continents for learning, sharing knowledge, pilgrimage and trade which become an integral part of their social life.The Indus Valley civilization, which flourished in the north-western part of India between 3000 and 1500 BC, has witnessed the mass migration of people from different centres of human settlement for social interaction, learning and trade purposes.Tourism planning and development has undergone enormous changes over the years.This concept has been since Mesopotamia and the Sumerian era.Even in the Vedic period, pilgrimage practice was common.In Mahabharata (350 BC) around three hundred holy places are mentioned that are spread over the Indian subcontinent.Tourism unites different linguistic and religious communities which are living in different regions of the country.The phenomenon of domestic tourism with its vibrant and changing dimension in India should further contribute to strengthening the fabric of Indian unity and diversity.

Objectives:
1. To review policies and programmes developed by Indian government with respect to tourism sector. 2. Critically analyse the previous development of tourism done by Indian government.

Methodology:
The present study is a review paper based upon the policies and programmes drafted and executed by Indian government for tourism sector from post-independence onwards.The paper is based upon secondary data.Various policies and programmes related to tourist sector are reviewed.After discussing the policies and programmes, overall critical analyses of the policies implemented till date is done.

Tourism development post-Independence
India attained independence with full valour pomp and show perhaps with great responsibility to build nation with unity in diversity.There were major challenges for India which it must tackle like to feed large chunk of population to pull them out of poverty, provide employment to them.Thus, it was very important to frame a single law of the land for governing various religions, caste, class, race, gender etc. so, the leaders of Independent India decided to draft to constitution for the people of India to keep solidarity among them.For governing the country India took the concept of planning commission from Russia keeping this in mind the national planning commission in India was formed in 1950 for making policies for the country.Five-year plans were framed to give direction for the development of the country.Different five-year plan came with different purposes like developing economy, reducing poverty, providing employment, agricultural development, expanding manufacturing sector etc. Tourism planning was started in India after Independence.In 1945 a committee was setup under the leadership of Sir John Sargent in which they promote tourism in an organised way.(Krishna.A.G. 1993).Tourism development planning started in second and third five-year plans, but it was proper implemented in sixth five-year plan.After 1980, tourism sector flourished gradually as it contributes to employment generation, foreign exchange earnings etc.

Tourism policy 1982
Government of India announced the first tourism policy in Sixth five-year plan.The purpose of this policy is to stimulate sustainable tourism as means of economic growth, social integration, and socio-economic benefits of communities particularly in the rural areas.The policy also focused on conservation and promotion cultural heritage site, sustainable development, and advancement of tourist products.This tourism policy also focused at making the stay of foreign tourists a memorial in India and enjoy the Indian hospitality at reasonable cost.

Important Features of tourism policy 1982
a.The policy focused on an all-round development of tourism in government and private sector at centre, state, and district level.b.The policy encourages the young population to take part in development of tourism.c.It encourages public private partnership for tourism development.d.The policy aspires to facilitate larger funds for tourism infrastructure.e.It recognizes for high quality standards in services, hotel management and tourism related industries.f.It suggests for the safety and security of tourism sector along with introducing conservation plans for natural environment and cultural heritage.g.The policy emphasizes to create tourism circuits, tourism areas and tourism economic zones.
Till 1982, tourism was not recognized as an industry however planning commission recognized it as an industry in June 1982.The policy further envisages to place the tourism sector under the concurrent list which will provide constitutional recognition to this sector.This will help in governing the activities of various stake holders attached to the tourism sector and will channelise the development of tourism in a systematic way.For preparing perspective plan for the tourism sector, Planning Commission of India decided to set up national committee on tourism headed by Mr. Mohammed Yunus in June 1986.The committee submitted its report along with its recommendation in Nov. 1987.The recommendations were:a.To replace the existing department of tourism by National Tourism Board and create separate cadre on Indian Tourism Service to supervise the functioning of National Tourism Board.b.It also submitted a proposal for privatization of two airlines owned by government of India.
During sept.1987, the concession was declared by the central government for tourism sector which included exemption for exchange earning, reducing the tariff on import of capital goods and financing at concessional rate of 1 to 5 % per annum.The credit was provided by commercial lines such as industrial development bank of India, industrial credit and investment corporation of India and other commercial banks.

Tourism policy under Seventh Five-year plan. (1985-1989)
The seventh five-year plan prescribed the following strategy for developing the tourism: a.To promotes the domestic tourism.b.To create more beach resorts.c.To conduct conferences, conventions, trekking and winter sports to attract the foreign tourism.

Tourism policy under Eight Five-year plan. (1992-1997)
Following are the key features of eight five-year plan:a.Private sector should intensify its participation in tourism sector.b.Central government announced National Action Plan for tourism development in 1992.c.To develop the tourist areas both socially and economically and generate employment opportunities in this sector.d.To preserve the environmental and cultural heritage.e.To encourage international tourism and increase share in world tourism.

National Tourism Policy 2002
National tourism policy of 2002 is considered as the milestone in tourism sector.It is based upon multifaceted approach which includes speedy implementation of tourism projects as well as new marketing strategies.Following are the key highlight points of National Tourism Policy 2002:a.Centre government aids state government to develop tourist circuit to make it a global attraction.b.This policy also emphasized on private public partnership to generate revenue from large projects like golf courses, cruises and tourist trains etc. c.It emphasized on technology for development of tourist infrastructure.d.Government of India gave financial support to conduct study tours, exhibitions, fairs etc for publicity.
Tenth Five-Year Plan National tourism policy 2002 was initiated by tenth year Five-year plan which focused on skill building by providing training to hotel and food industries.It promoted adventure tourism in Himalayan region and beach tourism in coastline.The policy also focused on wellness tourism including traditional healthcare like Ayurveda, shopping centre for traditional crafts and pilgrimage spots.

Eleventh Five Year Plan
Under eleventh five-year plan more funds had been allocated to promote central and state government partnerships with private sector.It focused on some selected areas such as Srirangam, Vellore fort, Wayanad in Kerala, the Udhagamandalam, Madumalai, Annamalai circuit in Tamil Nadu (Eco tourism).Jammu and Kashmir and north eastern had been given special attention for tourism development.There was a sudden change in the approach of tourism development as compared to previous plans.The major aim of this plan was to achieve superior quality of life through promotion and development of tourism which will further provide employment opportunities, physical invigoration, mental rejuvenation, cultural enrichment and spiritual elevation.Following are the key points for Eleventh Five-year plan:a.
Consider tourist development as national priority.b.
Boosting and maintaining India as a global tourist destination.c.
Development of world class infrastructure in the country.d.
Developing human resource and capacity building among service providers.e.
Drawing up effective marketing plans and strategies.f.
Market research for twenty-year perspective plan.g.
Product infrastructure development for destination and circuits.h.
Enhancement of computerization and information technology.i.
Provide assistance to central agencies.

Twelfth Five-Year Plan
The Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017) introduced new approaches for improving tourism.This plan focused to adopt "pro-poor tourism" approach aimed at reducing poverty and increasing benefits for the poor through tourism.Various strategies have been prepared for diverse set of actions from macro to micro level which includes product and infrastructure development, branding and promotion, marketing, planning, policy and investment.Following are key points of the plan: -a.Endow employment to a wide spectrum of job seekers from unskilled to the skilled, even in rural areas.b.The economic activities like transportation, accommodation, entertainment, hospitality etc. involved in tourism sector enables wide participation in its growth.c.After 1992 "Earth Summit", the principle of sustainable tourism has been adopted by the tourism industry worldwide.d.Tourism in India has the potential to generate economic awareness among local communities and protection of its natural and cultural endowments leading to a more sustainable growth.

Government Programmes and Schemes
Ministry of tourism took various initiative to promote tourism includes infrastructural development, adequate facilities etc. Ministry has launch different schemes at national and international to develop tourist circuits.

1.
Incredible India Campaign: -The campaign was launched by the Government of India in 2002 to promote India as global tourism destination.The campaign showcasing the ancient and heritage tourist destination of India like heritage building, cultural and spirituality tourism as tourism attraction.In 2017, Ministry of tourism launched Incredible India 2.0 campaign which focused more on market-oriented promotional plans and content creation rather than generic promotions.Now, campaign utilize social and digital media for promoting Niche tourism such as wellness, cuisine, wildlife, yoga, luxury, etc.

2.
Atithi Devo Bhavah: -This programme is initiated by government of India in 2005 to improve relationship between host and visitors.The main aim of this programme is to aware people and make them sensitize about our country's rich heritage, culture, cleanliness and warm hospitality.

4.
Prashad (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive): -This scheme was launched by government of India in 2014-2015.But in 2017 name was changed to "National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive".India being a country of diverse religions like Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism have centres of pilgrimage for various faiths since ages and these centres have vastly contributed to the development of Indian heritage values.This scheme offers incredible opportunity to commence infrastructural development at the important pilgrimage and heritage sites in an inclusive, integrated and sustainable manner that focuses on livelihood, skill, cleanliness, security, accessibility and service delivery.Highlight points of the scheme:a.Rejuvenation and spiritual augmentation of significant national pilgrimage sites.Marketing Development Assistance (MDA): -Tourism is one of the largest industries in any nation as it provides employment to the masses.The Ministry of Tourism promotes tourism at international level through its oversea offices, Global Media Campaign and in partnership with stakeholders in tourism industry.Foreign stakeholder plays vital role in the tourist industry to raise foreign tourist arrivals in the country.Financial assistance will be provided to service providers for promoting and marketing Indian tourism in the overseas markets.Objectives of the scheme are:a.Motivate stakeholders to promote tourism in the country from the overseas markets.b.To augment the visibility of brand "Incredible India" in the overseas markets.c.To enhance foreign tourist arrivals to the country.

7.
Loan Guarantee Scheme for Covid-19 affected tourism sector: -Tourism industry have been worst affected during covid 19 pandemic.To revive the functioning of tourism industry various steps has been put forward.Hon'ble Finance Minister announced free loan guarantee for the tourism sector.Ministry of Tourism launched "Loan guarantee Scheme for covid affected tourism service sector" (LGSCATSS).The highlight points of scheme are:a.Providing loan to the distressed tourism sector and help them to restart their business again.b.Scheme is valid till 31 March, 2022 or till the guarantee of Rs 250.00 crore are issued under the scheme.c.Five commercial banks i.e.Punjab National Bank, Central Bank of India, Union Bank, Bank of India and Karur Vysya Bank have already launched the scheme.d.Scheme has been made operational through "National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company" (NCGTC); guideline available on NCGTC website.Capacity Building for Service Provider (CBSP): -Trained human resource is a key factor for tourism infrastructure.The large number of tourism service providers in an organised and un-organized sector need training and certification in order to provide better services for customer satisfaction.Thus, Ministry of Tourism decided to make available education, training and certification to service providers at every level through CBSP scheme.Highlight points of the Scheme:a.Specialised skill development courses like different foreign languages, ancient literature etc. for fresh candidates as well as existing candidates.b.Aware the general public regarding the benefits of tourism through programmes and campaigns.c.Train the administers and planners to maximise the benefits of tourism industry.

Tourism policy 2022
Tourism has emerged as an engine for economic growth.It has significant role in trade, employment, infrastructural development, foreign investment, social inclusion etc.It is one of the fastest growing sectors in India.It can generate resources for conservation of culture, natural heritage and make positive contribution to sustainable development goals.But tourism sector has been most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.Covid-19 highlights the vulnerabilities of tourism sector.It is a big challenge for stakeholder to revive the tourism sector and bring it back to normal track with safety and hygienic.After covid-19, India has come up with the solution to become self-reliant i.e., "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" means vocal for local.People will utilize this crisis as an opportunity and take benefits of new technology and focus on new innovations, new business models, local start-ups, explore new markets etc.The spirit of Aatmanirbhar Bharat will help India to realise its full potential of tourism.The new policy is a holistic framework for sustainable and responsible growth of tourism sector in the country.Highlight points of the policy:a.To increase the contribution of tourism in Indian economy by increasing the visits, stays, expenditure and making India a year-round tourist destination.b.To generate employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in tourism and ensure skilled service providers.c.To develop and preserve the cultural and natural resources of the country.d.To guarantee sustainable and inclusive development of tourism sector.e. Transform tourist destinations and provide world class experience to visitors and make India one of the topmost sustainable and responsible tourist destination.

Discussion And Conclusion
Tourism industry is one of the major sectors of India which contribute in growth of nation by providing employment opportunities, foreign investment, etc to the masses.Tourism is vital part of an economic development of any nation whether the country is developing, developed or underdeveloped.Therefore, every country in the world formulates number of policies to attract both domestic as well as foreign tourist.
Post-Independence, Planning Commission of India put tourism industry in the Concurrent list of Indian Constitution to provide recognition to the tourism sector and help the central government to bring legislations governing tourism sector.As a result, tourism sector is growing quickly and attracting large number of domestic and foreign visitors generating large number of employment opportunities, revenues etc. Various policies have been initiated by the government to increase the growth of tourism sector.In these polices, government focuses on infrastructural development of tourist circuits, sustainable and responsible development of tourism spots, evolution of new tourist products, public-private partnership, skill development of service providers, sustainable growth of cultural and heritage sites etc. Numerous Schemes has been introduced by Government of India like Incredible India, Prasad, Swadesh Darshan, "Adopt a Heritage" Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan, Atithi Devo Bhavah etc. in which they focus on making the India a global tourist destination for holidays and show Indian Hospitality to attract the foreign tourist.The policies and programmes drafted and executed till date have helped to expand Indian tourism in many ways.However, there are certain shortcomings that needed to be corrected.Diverse ecology, landforms and culture of India offer various tourist attractions to both Indian as well as foreign people to visit these places.Some cases related to exploitation and harassment of tourists are seen oftenly.They needed to be handled carefully and proper safety and security of the tourists should be guaranteed by the Indian government.The increased tourist flow in most visited tourist areas have led to ill planned development which further increase vulnerabilities in that area giving rise to human induced disasters.For example, cracks in Joshimath, floods in Kedarnath, etc.Hence, sustainable development of the tourist destination should be done and present policies should be revisited and new policies should be framed by keeping sustainability of the tourist destinations in mind.
Components of Atithi Devo Bhavah are: a. Sensitization (Samvedan Sheelth) b.Training induction (Prashikshan) c.Motivation (Preran) d.Certification (Pramani Karan) e. Feedback (Pratipusthi) f.General awareness (Samanya Bodh) g.Ownership (Swamitwa) 3. Visit India 2009: -Visit India Campaign was launched by Government of India in 2009 to boot tourist inflow after Economic Crises as well as Mumbai Terror attack 2008.The programme was jointly announced by the Ministry of Tourism and World Travel and Tourism Council.
b. Improve attractiveness to identified pilgrimage sites and heritage cities under integrated tourism development of heritage city in a planned, prioritized and sustainable manner by providing world class tourism projects.c.Follow community-based development programmes through 'Pro-Poor' tourism concept and 'responsible tourism' initiatives.d.Assure active involvement of local communities for sustainable development of tourism in order to increase source of employment, improve living standards and overall development of area.e. Promote heritage tourism under integrated tourism development of heritage city, local arts, culture, handicrafts, cuisine, etc., to generate livelihood in the identified places.f.Improve the quality of tourism services and strengthen the measures for safety and security of pilgrims.g.Enable merging of state and central government schemes as well as private sector to develop an integrated destination.h.Enhancing the tourist attractiveness in a sustainable manner by developing world class infrastructure on the religious sites.5. Swadesh Darshan: -The scheme was launched by Ministry of Tourism and Culture in 2014-2015 for building integrated theme-based tourist circuits.Ministry of Tourism provide funds to state Government, Union territory and local government for infrastructural development of the tourist circuits in the country.Highlight points of the scheme are:a.To increase the contribution of tourism in the local economies.b.To generate employment opportunities as well as self-employment for local communities.c.To impart skills to local community for better hospitality facilities in tourism.d.To increase the contribution of private sector in hospitality and tourism.e.To preserve and sustainable development of local culture as well as natural resources.6.
Heritage" Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan: -This Scheme was launched by Ministry of Tourism in September 2017 on World Tourism Day.India has always been celebrated for its rich culture heritage.India's glorious heritage sites and culture diversity attracts millions of tourists from worldwide.To increase the role of culture heritage in tourism sector, the Ministry of Tourism in close collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Archaeological Survey of India, States, UTs, Private/ Public sector, Trust/ NGOs etc. envisions to develop amenities at heritage sites, monuments and tourist sites to make them tourist friendly in a planned manner.Highlight points of the project are: a. Develop elementary infrastructure in and around the heritage sites.b.Develop basic amenities and facilities to improve the tourist experience at heritage sites.c.Create awareness about the heritage sites and promote cultural and heritage values among people to certify proper operations and maintenance therein.d.Advance employment opportunities and support livelihood of local communities at the heritage sites.9.